The Slytherin Side of Things: Year 1
by xxlilmusicxx
Summary: Harry Potter, a brave, loyal Gryffindor; Alexis Potter, a cunning, tempermental Slytherin. Both are the Children-Who-Lived. When the Ministry interferes at Hogwarts, people learn there are more to the Potter twins than meets the eye.
1. The Children Who Lived

**I know I deleted this story, but I had to admit it was pretty stupid to delete it when I was only a chapter away from finishing. Oh well, here it is again, just under a different name. Really, I think my brain's broken. My stupidity levels are dangerously high right now.**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter; it all belongs to J.K Rowling and Warner Brothers Inc. However, I do own Alex.

**Pairings:** All are canon with the exception of my Theo/OC pairing.

* * *

Fifteen year old Alexis Potter sat silently in her place at the Slytherin table, warily observing her peers in the Great Hall, and idly listening to the chatter around her. Her emerald eyes met Harry's down at the Gryffindor table, and she offered a warm smile. Harry returned it, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. When he turned away, Alex frowned. Hermione had told her about his detention with the toad, and it took all her willpower to not go over to the bloody toad's office and hex her herself. She had also received detention, but she didn't care about the marks on her hand. Umbridge seemed to be targeting her brother, and it immensely bothered her.

Both had changed since their first year at Hogwarts. They grew taller, though Harry grew more than Alex had. His jet black hair was messier and slightly longer, and his years of quidditch gave him a great build. Alex on the other hand grew slender, curves in all the right places. Her pitch black hair now fell in luscious waves to her upper back.

Instinctively, she looked up at the head table, and noticed something that troubled her. _Where had Umbridge gone?_

"Alex? Are you all right?" she heard Blaise ask next to her. Tearing her gaze away from her brother and his friends, she glanced at her own peers in annoyance. Blaise Zabini, Daphne and Astoria Greengrass, Theodore Nott, and Pansy Parkinson (though she wouldn't really consider Parkinson to be more than an ally) were all staring at her expectantly.

"Quit staring. I'm fine." she snapped, unconsciously rubbing the back of her left hand. "I'm just worried about my brother."

"I'm sure he's fine. After all, he's The-Boy-Who-Lived, one-half of the Potter Twins, and one-fourth of the golden trio. I think he can handle detention with Umbitch." Astoria comforted, and Alex sighed in frustration, wincing a bit.

Theo noticed her hand. It was still bleeding a bit, the skin around it bruising. "What happened to your hand?" he demanded.

Alex showed him her right hand, "Nothing, see?"

Theo firmly, but gently took her left hand.

_I will not speak out of turn._

_I will not disrespect my superiors._

"She used _blood quills_ on you?" Daphne gasped.

"Bloody hell, those things are illegal!" Blaise whispered forcefully. "Why didn't you tell Dumbledore?"

"I know those things are illegal. Harry knows they are! We're not giving that bitch the satisfaction of thinking we let her win. Dumbledore has enough on his hands already." Alex whispered the last part.

At that moment, the Great Hall doors burst open. Umbridge entered with the Minister of Magic, and Percy Weasley. The Weasleys glared at the latter as he strode in with an air of self-importance.

Everyone was chattering at their tables, curious. It had to be something big if the minister was present. Then Dumbledore stood.

"Now I'm sure everyone is wondering why they are here."

"Yeah, no kidding." Ron Weasley muttered.

"But Professor Umbridge has something important to say to you all." he said.

"She's resigning?" said Fred Weasley gleefully, and Umbridge glared at him, before smiling sweetly.

"I found something rather interesting in my office earlier today." she said and George groaned.

"It's not a love note from Filch is it?" he asked in horror. Ravenclaw, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff snickered and Filch glared at him from the back of the room. Alex grinned from where she sat.

"No." said Umbridge, rather annoyed. "I found an interesting set of books. We will be reading one of these books tonight."

"Oh? I thought we were going to be eating them." Lee mocked, causing more snickers.

"And it is called _The Potter Twins and the Philosopher's Stone_."

Everyone fell silent and looked at the said twins, glancing between the Gryffindor and Slytherin table. Harry sat there with wide eyes, and Alex paled considerably as they watched Umbridge open the first book.

"**The Children-Who-Lived**" she said.

Alex banged her head on the table, and Harry remained silent at the looks being sent his way.

**Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.**

"You're welcome." the Weasley twins said pompously.

**They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense.**

The twins huffed.

**Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills. He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large moustache.**

"Gorgeous." Lee commented mockingly. Ron turned to him.

"Didn't know you swing that way, mate." he said.

Lee looked horrified.

**Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbors.**

"Delightful." commented Alicia Spinnet dully.

**The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere.**

"Fine?" Harry said indignantly.

"Small?" Alex added with shock.

Those who have actually seen him snorted.

**The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters.**

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE POTTERS?" Many roared, even a few of the teachers.

Harry and Alex looked half-touched, half-scared.

**Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister**

Snape glared at the book.

**, because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband were as unDursleyish**

"That's not a word." said someone from Ravenclaw.

**as it was possible to be.**

**The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street.**

**The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small son, too, but they had never even seen him. This boy was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that.**

"A child like _what_?" fumed Ginny. Ron, who had been sitting next to her, scooted away a bit.

**When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, gray Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work,**

"Why most boring?" asked Hermione. Harry shrugged.

**and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his high chair.**

"Awful child." commented McGonaggal.

The twins cringed slightly. Blaise, Theo, Daphne and Astoria glanced at the female Potter, confused.

**None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window.**

"Are they that thick?" drawled Malfoy.

Alex snorted. "Apparently."

**At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Dudley good-bye but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing his cereal at the walls.**

The female teachers huffed.

"**Little tyke," chortled Mr. Dursley**

"He encourages it?" asked Madam Pomfrey.

Alex said nothing and Harry nodded.

**as he left the house. He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive.**

**It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar — a cat reading a map.**

"Now who would that be?"

The Weasley twins grinned at McGonaggal, who glared at them. Snape sent an amused smirk her way which she ignored.

**For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen — then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight. What could he have been thinking of?**

"Is that a trick question?" asked Alex, and people snickered.

**It must have been a trick of the light. Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back. As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive — no, **_**looking **_**at the sign; cats couldn't read maps**_**or**_**signs.**

"Ha! We know your weakness Professor!" said Fred.

"You can't read!" added George.

"Uh... guys?" said Harry. "Professor McGonaggal _can_ read."

The twins sat in their seats and pouted.

**Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind. As he drove toward town he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day.**

"One-track mind" coughed Ginny.

People who heard her snickered.

**But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something else. As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks.**

"What's strange about that?" asked Blaise.

"Muggles don't wear cloaks." Hermione answered.

**Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes — the getups you saw on young people! He supposed this was some stupid new fashion. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these weirdos standing quite close by. They were whispering excitedly together.**

People who figured out what day it was bowed in respect.

**Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald-green cloak! The nerve of him!**

"Yes, how dare he!" said Fred pompously.

**But then it struck Mr. Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt —these people were obviously collecting for something… yes, that would be it.**

George tutted.

**The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings parking lot, his mind back on drills.**

**Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office on the ninth floor. If he hadn't, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning. **_**He **_**didn't see the owls swooping past in broad daylight, though people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open-mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead. Most of them had never seen an owl even at nighttime.**

"Why not?" someone from Slytherin asked.

"Muggles don't use owls." said Hermione.

**Mr. Dursley, however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning. He yelled at five different people. He made several important telephone calls and shouted a bit more.**

"He should try working with Moody. They'll be great pals." Seamus told Dean, who fought to stifle his laughter.

**He was in a very good mood until lunchtime, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk across the road**

"Wait, did I hear right?" said Harry as he looked up. "He's actually_ walking_?"

**to buy himself a bun from the bakers opposite.**

"The world is right again." said Harry and Alex gasped loudly.

"What?" Harry asked her.

"He only bought one?" she said shocked.

The same thought seemed to stuck Harry as his eyes widened. A few people laughed at their antics. Being and separate houses didn't change them, and many of the teachers were glad, though some of their respective housemates were wary.

**He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker's. He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn't know why, but they made him uneasy. This lot were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldn't see a single collecting tin. It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag, that he caught a few words of what they were saying.**

"**The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard –"**

" — **yes, their son, Harry – "**

**" — their daughter, Alexis – "**

Everyone else seemed to realize what day it is and glanced at the twins with pity.

**Mr. Dursley stopped dead.**

"YES!" yelled the Weasley twins.

**Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it.**

**He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone, and had almost finished dialing his home number when he changed his mind. He put the receiver back down and stroked his moustache, thinking… no, he was being stupid**.

"Ah, he admits it then." said Alex, and people snickered.

**Potter wasn't such an unusual name. He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a son called Harry.**

"They don't even know your names?" hissed Angelina.

Harry shrugged.

"Still don't think he does."

Growls were heard from the Gryffindor table, and surprisingly a few hisses from Slytherin. Alex blinked just to be sure she didn't imagine it.

**Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his nephew **_**was **_**called Harry. He'd never even seen the boy. It might have been Harvey. Or Harold.**

"Harvey Potter?" Ron mused, "Doesn't really sound right."

**He wasn't even aware that he **_**had **_**a niece.**

"WHAT?" screeched Daphne.

More hissing.

**But perhaps she wasn't called Alexis. Maybe it was Alexandra. Or Allie.**

Alex blinked. "I think I'll keep my name, thank you."

"But I call you Allie." said Theo as he draped an arm over her shoulder. "I thought you liked it." he breathed in her ear. Alex flushed and caught the smug and knowing smirks of her Slytherin peers, a few from Gryffindor, and a pissed expression from her brother.

Alex brushed him off. "Sod off, Theo."

**There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at any mention of her sister. He didn't blame her — if **_**he'd **_**had a sister like that…**

"Your sister isn't all peaches and cream either." Harry snorted.

"Is she the one that you..." Ron trailed off but grinned at the smirks on the twins' faces.

"Brilliant!"

**but all the same, those people in cloaks…**

**He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon and when he left the building at five o'clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door.**

"**Sorry,"**

"He knows that word?" asked Hermione.

**he grunted, as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell.**

More laughter.

**It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak. He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground. On the contrary, his face split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice that made passersby stare, "Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at last!**

Umbridge paused and smiled.

"See he is not back." she said, but faltered as she caught sight of the twin's smirks.

"Just keep reading." said Alex.

Umbridge scowled but did so.

**Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!"**

**And the old man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and walked off.**

"His arms fit?" Fred stage whispered to George and Lee, and everyone laughed.

**Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought he had been called a Muggle, whatever that was. He was rattled. He hurried to his car and set off for home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination.**

The Weasley twins and Lee mock gasped.

**As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he saw—and it didn't improve his mood — was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning.**

People glanced at McGonaggal suspiciously.

**It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes.**

"Yup, that's Professor McGonaggal alright." Dean nodded.

"**Shoo!" said Mr. Dursley loudly.**

**The cat didn't move. It just gave him a stern look.**

"How is he still alive?" Lee said incredulously, earning a glare from his head of house.

**Was this normal cat behaviour,**

"Nope!" chorused the room. McGonaggal scowled.

**Mr. Dursley wondered. Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife.**

**Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had learned a new word! ("Shan't!").**

People snorted.

**Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living room in time to catch the last report on the evening news:**

"_**And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern." The newsreader allowed himself a grin. "Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?"**_

"_**Well, Ted," said the weatherman, "I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars! Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early — it's not until next week, folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight."**_

**Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over Britain? Owls flying by daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters…**

Alex blinked. "He's actually putting it together?"

"Well that proves he's developed one brain cell in a matter of ten years." said Harry. People who heard snickered.

**Mrs. Dursley came into the living room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He'd have to say something to her. He cleared his throat nervously.**

"**Er — Petunia, dear — you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you?"**

**As he had expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn't have a sister.**

Alex glowered at the book, Harry was silent, Hermione hissed angrily, Ginny growled, and the twins were muttering about revenge.

"**No," she said sharply. "Why?"**

"**Funny stuff on the news," Mr. Dursley mumbled. "Owls… shooting stars… and there were a lot of funny-looking people in town today…"**

"_**So?**_**" snapped Mrs. Dursley.**

"**Well, I just thought… maybe… it was something to do with… you know… **_**her **_**crowd."**

"_Her_ crowd?" Ginny growled.

**Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name "Potter." He decided he didn't dare. Instead he said, as casually as he could, "Their children — they'd be about Dudley's age now, wouldn't they?"**

"**What's the boy's name again? Howard, isn't it?"**

"**Harry. Nasty, common name, if you ask me."**

"Well no one asked you!" Alex hissed, and Blaise gently squeezed her shoulder.

"**Oh, yes," said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. "Yes, I quite agree."**

**"But what about the girl?" he asked again, yet dreading the answer.**

**"The brat's name is Alexis. Why?"**

Hisses echoed around the Slytherin table, surprising majority of the people in the hall.

"How dare that filthy muggle call her a brat!" Daphne glowered.

Theo's expression darkened, and Alex squeezed his hand in reassurance. Her eyes met his and she smiled softly. "They're not worth it. Don't get any ideas, all right?"

**"No reason."**

**He didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to bed. While Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the front garden. The cat was still there.**

**It was staring down Privet Drive as though it were waiting for something.**

**Was he imagining things? Could all this have anything to do with the Potters? If it did… if it got out that they were related to a pair of — well, he didn't think he could bear it.**

"The feeling's mutual." Harry and Alex replied in sync.

**The Dursleys got into bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters **_**were **_**involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley. The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their kind… He couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on — he yawned and turned over — it couldn't affect **_**them**_**…**

"How very wrong he was." said Luna dreamily.

**How very wrong he was.**

Luna blinked, and people laughed.

**Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the cat on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness.**

**It was sitting as still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive. It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed on the next street, nor when two owls swooped overhead. In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all.**

**A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you'd have thought he'd just popped out of the ground. The cat's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed.**

The Fred and George nudged each other, grinning.

**Nothing like this man had ever been seen on Privet Drive. He was tall, thin, and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt. He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots. His blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice. This man's name was Albus Dumbledore.**

Umbridge paused and scowled, while many students, mainly the DA members were cheering.

**Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome.**

**He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something. But he did seem to realize he was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the cat, which was still staring at him from the other end of the street. For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him. He chuckled and muttered, "I should have known."**

**He found what he was looking for in his inside pocket. It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air, and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop.**

"Cool sir!" shouted Seamus. Dumbledore smiled.

**He clicked it again — the next lamp flickered into darkness. Twelve times he clicked the Put-Outer, until the only lights left on the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching him. If anyone looked out of their window now, even beady-eyed Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on the pavement. Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer back inside his cloak and set off down the street toward number four, where he sat down on the wall next to the cat. He didn't look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it.**

"**Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall."**

"HA! We knew it!" yelled the Weasley twins as they did some sort of victory dance. Cue more laughter.

**He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone. Instead he was smiling at a rather severe-looking woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun.**

**She looked distinctly ruffled.**

"**How did you know it was me?" she asked.**

"**My dear Professor, I've never seen a cat sit so stiffly."**

More laughter.

"**You'd be stiff if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day," said Professor McGonagall.**

"Why were you sitting on that wall all day?" asked Snape.

"Never you mind, Severus." McGonagall said stiffly. Snape just smirked bemusedly at her.

"**All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here."**

**Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily.**

Seamus and Dean sniggered.

"**Oh yes, everyone's celebrating, all right," she said impatiently. "You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no — even the Muggles have noticed something's going on. It was on their news." She jerked her head back at the Dursleys' dark living-room window. "I heard it. Flocks of owls… shooting stars… Well, they're not completely stupid. They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent — I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much sense."**

"**You can't blame them," said Dumbledore gently. "We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years."**

"**I know that," said Professor McGonagall irritably. "But that's no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes, swapping rumors."**

**She threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didn't, so she went on. "A fine thing it would be if, on the very day You-Know-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really **_**has **_**gone, Dumbledore?"**

"Nope." Alex smiled grimly.

"Not enough human in him to die." said Harry.

"Enough lying Potters!" yelled Umbridge. But neither twin replied as they glared at the book. Alex still absentmindedly stoked her left hand.

"**It certainly seems so," said Dumbledore. "We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a lemon drop?"**

"A what?" asked the purebloods.

"**A **_**what**_**?"**

"**A lemon drop. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of."**

"Ah."

"**No, thank you," said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't think this was the moment for lemon drops.**

"**As I say, even if You-Know-Who **_**has **_**gone —"**

"**My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his name? All this 'You-Know-Who' nonsense — for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name: **_**Voldemort**_**."**

Umbridge stumbled over Voldemort's name and other people in the hall flinched

**Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was unsticking two lemon drops, seemed not to notice. "It all gets so confusing if we keep saying 'You-Know-Who.' I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name."**

The twins rolled their eyes.

"**I know you haven't," said Professor McGonagall, sounding half exasperated, half admiring. "But you're different. Everyone knows you're the only one You-Know- oh, all right, **_**Voldemort**_**, was frightened of."**

"**You flatter me," said Dumbledore calmly. "Voldemort had powers I will never have."**

"That's because you're too noble to use them, sir." said Hermione.

"**Only because you're too — well —**_**noble **_**to use them."**

The Weasley twins jumped up.

"Mini McGonagall!" they yelled and pointed at Hermione with horror-stricken expressions.

"Weasley, Weasley! Sit down!" The three sat with wide grins.

"**It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs."**

Blaise gagged, and everyone else looked a bit green.

**Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said "The owls are nothing next to the **_**rumors **_**that are flying around. You know what they're saying? About why he's disappeared? About what finally stopped him?"**

**It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most anxious to discuss, the real reason she had been waiting on a cold, hard wall all day, for neither as a cat nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now. It was plain that whatever "everyone" was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true. Dumbledore, however, was choosing another lemon drop and did not answer.**

"**What they're **_**saying**_**," she pressed on, "is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters. The rumor is that Lily and James Potter are — are — that they're — **_**dead**_**."**

Harry, despite his tears, couldn't help but glare at Nott at the Slytherin table as he held Alex close. She looked close to tears, and Harry still didn't trust the Slytherin.

**Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped.**

"**Lily and James… I can't believe it… I didn't want to believe it… Oh, Albus…"**

"Thanks for caring, Professor." Harry said and looked up at his head of house, who was drying her tears.

Snape clenched his jaw.

**Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "I know… I know…" he said heavily.**

**Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. "That's not all. They're saying he tried to kill the Potter's son, Harry. But he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little boy. And young Alexis who was also in the curse's firing range survived as well. No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill The Potter Twins, Voldemort's power somehow broke — and that's why he's gone."**

The said twins never left their embrace, even with the eyes watching them.

**Dumbledore nodded glumly.**

"**It's — it's **_**true**_**?" faltered Professor McGonagall. "After all he's done… all the people he's killed… he couldn't kill two little children?**

"Of course." hissed Alex, wiping her eyes.

**It's just astounding… of all the things to stop him… but how in the name of heaven did Harry and Alexis survive?"**

"**We can only guess." said Dumbledore. "We may never know."**

_He knows. He just won't tell us. _Harry thought grimly.

**Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took a golden watch from his pocket and examined it. It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge.**

"Want one!" George yelled, earning a few weak chuckles.

**It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said, "Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?"**

"**Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me **_**why **_**you're here, of all places?"**

"**I've come to bring Harry and Alexis to their aunt and uncle. They're the only family they have left now."**

"Family isn't the right word." Harry said darkly. Everyone glances between the twins, some concerned, some curious, some defiant (*cough*Umbridge*cough*)

"**You don't mean – you **_**can't **_**mean the people who live **_**here**_**?"**

"See, Professor McGonagall agrees with us." Alex pointed out as she wrenched herself from Theo's grasp.

**cried Professor McGonagall, jumping to her feet and pointing at number four.**

"**Dumbledore — you can't. I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find two people who are less like us. And they've got this son — I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street**

"I think he still does that."

**, screaming for sweets**

"Still does that too."

**. The Potters come and live here!"**

"**It's the best place for them**

"We resent that." said the twins.

**," said Dumbledore firmly. "Their aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to them when they're older. I've written them a letter."**

"A letter? You think you can explain it all in a letter?" asked Hermione.

"**A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. "Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter?**

"See!" Fred said as he pointed an accusing finger at Hermione.

"It's a mini McGonagall!" added George.

**These people will never understand them! They'll be famous — a legend — I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Twin Potter day in the future**

"You wouldn't dare!" yelled Alex, upon seeing the Weasley twins' matching grins, stood and pointed accusingly at the Gryffindor table. Harry paled as he caught on.

"Why dear Alex - "

"what would make you think -

"we'd do such a thing?" they asked. alex glared at them.

"Because I know you. And I'll bloody hex both of you if you do."

**- there will be books written about Harry and Alexis — every child in our world will know their names!"**

Alex growled and Harry rolled his eyes.

"**Exactly." said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. "It would be enough to turn any child's head. Famous before they can walk and talk! Famous for something they won't even remember! Can you see how much better off they'll be, growing up away from all that until they're ready to take it?"**

"Even then sir." Alex huffed.

**Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed, and then said, "Yes — yes, you're right, of course. But how are the children getting here, Dumbledore?" She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding the twins underneath it.**

"**Hagrid's bringing them."**

"**You think it —**_**wise **_**— to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?"**

"I would trust Hagrid with my life." said Harry.

Hagrid beamed at him.

"**I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Dumbledore.**

"We all do," said Ron solemnly.

"Giant spiders," Harry reminded him, and Alex snickered.

"Most of the time," Ron quickly corrected himself as he shuddered.

"**I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place," said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, "but you can't pretend he's not careless. He does tend to — what was that?"**

"What was what?" someone called from Hufflepuff table.

**A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky — and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them.**

"I want one!" Lee yelled.

**If the motorcycle was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it.**

"Hagrid!" a Ravenclaw shouted.

**He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so **_**wild **_**— long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of trash can lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins. In his vast, muscular arms he was holding a bundle of blankets.**

"**Hagrid," said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. "At last. And where did you get that motorcycle?"**

"**Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sir," said the giant, climbing carefully off the motorcycle as he spoke. "Young Sirius Black lent it to me. I've got 'em, sir."**

_Sirius…_ The twins thought fondly. How Alex wanted to strangle Pettigrew that night but decided against it for harry and Sirius' sake. Now, she regretted it.

"**No problems, were there?"**

"**No, sir — house was almost destroyed, but I got 'em out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. They fell asleep as we was flyin' over Bristol, an' Hrry woudn' let go o' her."**

"Awww..." Ginny cooed, and Harry blushed.

**Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby girl, fast asleep, and a baby boy, who had his arms around her, also asleep.**

"Awww..." the Hall minus Slytherins (most smirked), Snape (who also smirked) and Umbridge (who was scowling like the bitch she is) chorused. Alex blushed a deep red and buried her face on the crook of Theo's neck. She blushed harder as she realized what she had just done.

Theo merely chuckled at her embarrassment and wrapped an arm around her.

Daphne and Astoria were grinning wickedly.

"Awww, Alex. You must have looked adorable!" squealed Astoria.

"Cute enough to cuddle to death, but I'm sure Theo's got that covered." Daphne mocked, eyeing Theo's arm around Alex's shoulder. Alex pursed her lips in annoyance, and Theo averted his eyes.

**Under a tuft of jet-black hair over their foreheads they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning.**

"Bloody scar." Harry muttered.

"**Is that where —?" whispered Professor McGonagall.**

"**Yes," said Dumbledore. "They'll have those scars forever."**

"**Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore?"**

"**Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in handy.**

Alex looked up. "How is our scars handy?"

**I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground.**

"Didn't need to know that sir." said Katie Bell.

**Well — give them here, Hagrid — we'd better get this over with."**

**Dumbledore took Harry in his arms and turned toward the Dursleys' house.**

"**Could I — could I say good-bye to 'em, sir?" asked Hagrid. He bent his great, shaggy head over Harry and gave him what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss and did the same to Alexis. Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog.**

"Bet Padfoot would have taken offense to that." Alex commented off-handedly. Harry, Ron and Hermione laughed from where they sat, her friends looked confused, and the Weasley twins perked up.

"**Shhh!" hissed Professor McGonagall, "You'll wake the Muggles!"**

"Yes, because a giant motorbike is just as quiet." Astoria said sarcastically.

"**S-s-sorry," sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large, spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. "But I c-c-can't stand it —Lily an' James dead — an' poor little Harry an' Alexis off ter live with Muggles —"**

"Cue the next ten years of hell." Harry muttered. Hermione, Ginny, Ron, and the twins heard and frowned.

"**Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found," Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. He laid Harry and Alex gently on the doorstep, took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Harry And Alex's blankets, and then came back to the other two.**

"WHAT?" Hermione shrieked, and people had to cover their ears. "You left them on the DOORSTEP!"

The Weasleys, plus Daphne, Astoria, Blaise and Theo, glowered.

**For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out.**

People shuddered. That was never a good sign.

"**Well," said Dumbledore finally, "that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations."**

"**Yeah," said Hagrid in a very muffled voice, "I best get this bike away. G'night, Professor McGonagall — Professor Dumbledore, sir."**

**Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself onto the motorcycle and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night.**

"**I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall," said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply.**

**Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. He clicked it once, and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street. He could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four.**

"**Good luck, Harry, Alexis" he murmured.**

"We're going to need it." Alex muttered.

**He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak, he was gone.**

**A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Harry's arms tightened around Alexis but neither woke up. Alex's small hand closed on the letter beside her and she and her brother slept on, not knowing they were special, not knowing they were famous, not knowing they would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream**

The twins shuddered.

**as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that they would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley…**

_Not expecting anything less..._ they both thought.

**They couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Harry and Alexis Potter — the children who lived!"**

And Umbridge stopped reading.

"That's the end of the chapter." She seemed very disappointed.

"I'll read next." said Professor McGonagall as she took the book and sat.

* * *

**The first dew chapters will only have minor changes until they get to Hogwarts. You'll get to hear the Slytherin side speak more, of course. ;D Please review!**

**~Cassandra**


	2. The Vanishing Glass

**And here's the second chapter. Again, my mind is somehow not working right, and my stupidity levels are on max. I still don't know why I deleted this story.**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter; it all belongs to J.K Rowling and Warner Brothers Inc. However, I do own Alex.

**Pairings:** All are canon with the exception of my Theo/OC pairing.

* * *

**"The Vanishing Glass," **read McGonagall.

Alex paled and Harry gulped nervously. They were going to hear about their home lives.

Snape noticed this and stared at them suspiciously. He didn't trust Harry, but Alex was a different story. She was still pale, and it made him at least a bit concerned.

**Nearly ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew on the front step, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all. The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursleys' front door; it crept into their living room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr. Dursley had seen that fateful news report about the owls. Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed. Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing different-colored bonnets**

People snickered.

**but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs showed a large blond boy riding his first bicycle**

"Which he broke the moment he sat on it." Alex mused, and people around her snorted.

**, on a carousel at the fair, playing a computer game with his father, being hugged and kissed by his mother. The room held no sign at all that other children lived in the house, too.**

Snape blinked. No pictures of Potter being spoilt at home?

"Why were there no pictures of you two?" Hermione hissed.

Harry shrugged and Alex remained silent.

**Yet Harry Potter was still there, asleep at the moment with his sister at his side,**

"You slept on the same bed?" asked Blaise a little suggestively.

Pansy gagged and hit him on the shoulder.

**but not for long. Their Aunt Petunia was awake and it was her shrill voice that made the first noise of the day.**

Alex slammed her head on the table and Harry groaned.

"**Up! Get up! Now!"**

Some people winced.

"That's worse than Pansy on a bad hair day." piped Millicent Bulstrode, and many Slytherin girls snickered when Pansy scowled.

**Harry woke with a start causing Alex to fall off the bed in surprise. His aunt rapped on the door again.**

"Give them a chance to wake up first!" Ginny huffed.

"**Up!" she screeched. Harry heard her walking toward the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the stove. He rolled onto his back and tried to remember the dream he had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorcycle in it. He had a funny feeling he'd had the same dream before.**

**Alex on the other hand was muttering profanities as she rubbed her sore side.**

More snickering.

"You have an interesting choice of curse words, I'll give you that." commented Daphne.

**Their aunt was back outside the door.**

"**Are you up yet?" she demanded.**

"**Nearly," said Harry.**

"**Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon.**

"They made you cook?" Hermione said, dangerously calm. Alex shrugged.

"I'm a girl, I was supposed to learn anyway."

"Still! You were eleven!"

**And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday."**

**Alex groaned.**

"**What did you say?" his aunt snapped through the door.**

"They didn't say _anything_!" Ron snarled.

"**Nothing, nothing…"**

**Dudley's birthday — how could they have forgotten?**

"Simple: we don't care." Was Alex's reply as she looked up.

**Harry got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks. Alex handed him a pair she pulled out from under their bed and, after pulling a spider off one of them.**

Ron shuddered. And Fred looked slightly guilty.

**The twins were used to spiders**

"Until second year. I never want to see those things again." Alex shuddered. Ron snickered and Harry grinned.

People looked at them curiously, but they waved it off.

"Second year."

**, because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them**

_Oh boy..._they thought.

**, and that was where they slept.**

Everything was silent, even Fred and George couldn't joke about that. Malfoy, who always wanted a chance to insult them, couldn't.

"You sleep WHERE?" Hermione roared.

"B-but we saw your b-bedroom - " Fred stuttered in shock.

"The b-bars on the windows - " said George.

"That was after we received our first Hogwarts letter." said Alex as she avoided the eyes of many.

Snape and McGonagall glared at Dumbledore.

"You said it was the best place for them!" McGonagall yelled.

"I... I didn't know." Dumbledore muttered.

Snape stayed silent but continued to glare at the Headmaster.

"Filthy abusive muggles!" Astoria and Daphne were hissing.

Theo and Blaise were glaring at the book.

**When he was dressed he went down the hall into the kitchen. The table was almost hidden beneath all Dudley's birthday presents.**

Harry and Alex scowled.

**It looked as though Dudley had gotten the new computer he wanted, not to mention the second television and the racing bike. Exactly why Dudley wanted a racing bike was a mystery to Harry, as Dudley was very fat and hated exercise**

"And I still don't know why he wanted that." Harry mused. Alex grinned.

"He broke that when he sat on it too." she said. A few people chuckled weakly.

**unless of course it involved punching somebody.**

"He better not mean you two." hissed Ginny.

**Dudley's favorite punching bag was Harry**

"All right, that's it." Sensing danger, Harry grabbed Ginny's hand and she calmed down almost immediately. Alex caught it, and glanced at them with a knowing grin.

Harry caught the grin and stuck his tongue out at her. Alex snickered.

People who didn't notice the exchange glanced at them curiously.

**, but he couldn't often catch him.**

"Well, there's that at least" Hermione muttered.

**Harry didn't look it, but he was very fast.**

"Youngest seeker in a century!" cheered Alicia.

**Then there was Alex.**

"He hits you too?" Theo and Blaise snarled. Alex glanced between them nervously.

**Dudley always found ways to catch her,**

"_WHAT_?"

**but she somehow manages to slip away at the last minute.**

Cue laughter and relieved sighs.

"Count on Alex to be the master of escape routes." Daphne laughed.

Blaise pushed Theo's arm off her shoulder and replaced it with his own, ignoring the scowl Theo sent his way.

"Born chaser, this one." Alex flushed but grinned nonetheless.

Malfoy rolled his eyes but smirked. "How you managed to convince Flint to let you on the team is beyond me."

"The youngest chaser in a century, and the only female to ever join the Slytherin Quidditch team!" Blaise bragged, earning an elbow in the ribs from Alex. He immediately dropped his hand from her shoulders.

**Perhaps it had something to do with living in a dark cupboard,**

People growled.

**but the twins had always been small and skinny for their age.**

"Scrawny gits." said Ron.

**They looked even smaller and skinnier than they really were because all they had to wear were old clothes of Dudley's,**

"They don't even buy you new clothes?" asked Neville.

"Nope." said the twins.

**and Dudley was about four times bigger than he was.**

Alex snorted. "Understatement of the year." Harry snickered.

"Grows several inches every year - "

"Weighs several more pounds a month - "

"Eats twice as more every week - "

"Doesn't even exercise - "

" - if his life depended on it." they said.

People looked at them oddly. This was one of the rare times wherein they talked together and finished each other's sentences. Those who haven't heard them, were watching them with wide eyes. Even the Weasley twins were gaping.

"What?" they chorused again.

People began shaking their heads and turning back to McGonagall.

**Both had a thin face, knobbly knees, black hair,**

"James." said Professor Flitwick.

**and bright green eyes.**

_Lily..._Snape thought.

**Harry wore round glasses held together with a lot of Scotch tape**

"Why?" asked Cho Chang.

**because of all the times Dudley had punched him on the nose.**

Alex growled.

**The only thing the twins liked about their own appearances was a very thin scar on opposite sides of their foreheads that was shaped like a bolt of lightning.**

"You two actually liked it?" Ron asked.

Harry tried to flatten his hair, while Alex looked at him bemusedly. She didn't need to flatten hers, as sher long bangs were already covering her scar.

"We didn't know how we got it back then." said Harry.

**They've had it as long as they could remember, and the first question they could ever remember asking their Aunt Petunia was how they had gotten it.**

"**In the car crash when your parents died,"**

"They _lied_ to you?" snarled Hermione.

Snape wanted to hex Petunia Dursley so badly.

**she had said. "And don't ask questions."**

"How will you learn?" asked Luna.

_**Don't ask questions **_**— that was the first rule for a quiet life with the Dursleys.**

"Quiet?" Harry mused.

**Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen as Harry was turning over the bacon.**

"**Comb your hair!" he barked, by way of a morning greeting.**

"Not going to work!" Alex sang, and Harry scowled at her from where he sat.

**About once a week, Uncle Vernon looked over the top of his newspaper and shouted that Harry needed a haircut. Harry must have had more haircuts than the rest of the boys in his class put together, but it made no difference, his hair simply grew that way — all over the place.**

Alex laughed.

**Alex had no such problems, though.**

"Lucky you." Harry huffed.

**Alex was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother. Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. He had a large pink face, not much neck, small, watery blue eyes, and thick blond hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head.**

"Ew." said Parvarti Patil.

**Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel — Harry often said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig.**

Fred and George beamed at Harry.

**Alex scolded him about that though -**

The Weasley twins, Hermione, Ron and Ginny, plus a few Slytherins gaped at her.

**because she said it was a great insult to pigs.**

Cue laughter.

"Who knew you two were so funny?" George laughed.

Harry and Alex wore matching grins.

**Alex put the plates of egg and bacon on the table, which was difficult as there wasn't much room. Dudley, meanwhile, was counting his presents. His face fell.**

"**Thirty-six," he said, looking up at his mother and father. "That's two less than last year."**

"_Thirty-six?"_ chocked Malfoy. "Even I don't get that many."

Harry and Alex looked at him with amused stares, and he flushed slightly.

"**Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see, it's here under this big one from Mummy and Daddy."**

"**All right, thirty-seven then," said Dudley, going red in the face. Harry, who could see a huge Dudley tantrum coming on, began wolfing down his bacon as fast as possible in case Dudley turned the table over. And Alex glanced at him as she also ate, making sure he wouldn't choke.**

"Good idea, mate." Ron said. "Don't let the food go to waste."

"Trust Ron to worry about the food." Alex snorted.

Ron blushed as people snickered at him.

**Aunt Petunia obviously scented danger, too, because she said quickly, "And we'll buy you another **_**two **_**presents while we're out today. How's that, popkin? **_**Two **_**more presents. Is that all right?"**

**Dudley thought for a moment. It looked like hard work.**

"Yeah, no kidding." commented Harry. People chuckled.

**Finally he said slowly, "So I'll have thirty… thirty…"**

"He can't even count!" said Professor Sprout disapprovingly.

"**Thirty-nine, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia.**

"**Oh." Dudley sat down heavily and grabbed the nearest parcel. "All right then."**

**Uncle Vernon chuckled.**

"**Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. 'Atta boy, Dudley!" He ruffled Dudley's hair.**

"He's encouraging it!" Professor Sinistra huffed.

**At that moment the telephone rang and Aunt Petunia went to answer it while Harry and Uncle Vernon watched Dudley unwrap the racing bike, a video camera, a remote control airplane, sixteen new computer games, and a VCR.**

"Muggle things" Hermione answered before any of the purebloods could ask.

**He was ripping the paper off a gold wristwatch when Aunt Petunia came back from the telephone looking both angry and worried.**

"**Bad news, Vernon," she said. "Mrs. Figg's broken her leg. She can't take them." She jerked her head in Harry and Alex's direction.**

"_They_ have names!" hissed Ginny.

**Dudley's mouth fell open in horror, but Harry's heart gave a leap. Every year on Dudley's birthday, his parents took him and a friend out for the day, to adventure parks, hamburger restaurants, or the movies. Every year, Harry was left behind with Mrs. Figg, a mad old lady who lived two streets away. Harry hated it there. The whole house smelled of cabbage and Mrs. Figg made him look at photographs of all the cats she'd ever owned.**

Lavender wrinkled her nose at the mention of the smell of cabbage.

"**Now what?" said Aunt Petunia, looking furiously at the twins as though they'd planned this.**

"Yes, because that's how we spend our days - "

" - plotting how to make them miserable." cried the Potter twins dramatically.

A few people snickered.

**Harry knew he ought to feel sorry that Mrs. Figg had broken her leg, but it wasn't easy when he reminded himself it would be a whole year before he had to look at Tibbles, Snowy, Mr. Paws, and Tufty again.**

"Harry..." Hermione reprimanded.

**Alex really did feel sorry for her, just not for the cats.**

"Alex!" Hermione screeched, and if she could she would have smacked Alex on the arm.

"I didn't write this!" Alex defended, her hands raised in surrender.

**"We could phone Marge," Uncle Vernon suggested.**

"**Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates the children, especially the girl."**

"Why I'm honored!" Alex cried out dramatically, and Harry burst out laughing.

A few people looked confused while others are snickering.

**The Dursleys often spoke about the twins like this, as though they weren't there — or rather, as though they were something very nasty that couldn't understand them, like a slug.**

Ginny huffed.

"**What about what's-her-name, your friend — Yvonne?"**

"**On vacation in Majorca," snapped Aunt Petunia.**

"**You could just leave me here," Harry put in hopefully (he'd be able to watch what he wanted on television for a change and maybe even have a go on Dudley's computer). Alex on the other hand, tried to look innocent but her mind was working on overdrive as she thought of the things she could pull.**

Snape glanced at them in light shock. "That was very Slytherin of you, Potters."

Alex grinned widely, while Harry mentally winced.

**Aunt Petunia looked as though she'd just swallowed a lemon.**

"What was the difference?" asked Harry. People laughed.

"**And come back and find the house in ruins?" she snarled.**

"They won't blow up the house!" Ginny said indignantly.

**"We won't blow up the house," said Harry**

Harry and Ginny looked at each other and blushed.

**"I make no such promises." muttered Alex.**

A few other Slytherins glanced at her with raised eyebrows, and she returned it with an innocent look.

"Ha! You lot haven't seen her wreaking havoc in the dorms yet." Pansy snorted.

**, but they weren't listening.**

"Of course." muttered Harry.

"**I suppose we could take him to the zoo," said Aunt Petunia slowly, "… and leave them in the car…"**

"That's child abuse!" cried McGonagall.

"**That car's new, they're not sitting in it alone…"**

**Dudley began to cry loudly. In fact, he wasn't really crying — it had been years since he'd really cried — but he knew that if he screwed up his face and wailed, his mother would give him anything he wanted.**

The twins glanced at Malfoy.

"**Dinky Duddydums**

There was a moment of silence in the Great Hall, before the burst into uncontrollable fits of of laughter.

"Dinky Duddydums!" gasped Lee.

"P-poor kid!" busted Seamus.

"Makes...me...feel almost..sorry for..him!" said Dean through fits of laughter.

Blaise was laughing, Daphne and Astoria were giggling hysterically, Malfoy was smirking, Pansy looked somewhat horrified, and Theo was chuckling to himself.

Harry and Alex shared a look across the tables and smirked.

**, don't cry, Mummy won't let him spoil your special day!" she cried, flinging her arms around him.**

"**I… don't… want… them… t-t-to come!" Dudley yelled between huge, pretend sobs. "They always sp-spoil everything!" He shot Harry and Alex a nasty grin through the gap in his mother's arms.**

"Awful child!" McGonagall sniffed.

**Just then, the doorbell rang — "Oh, good Lord, they're here!" said Aunt Petunia frantically — and a moment later, Dudley's best friend, Piers Polkiss, walked in with his mother. Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat. He was usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them. Dudley stopped pretending to cry at once.**

**As soon as he entered the room, Pier glanced at Alex and winked. Harry thought Alex was going to be sick, seeing as she had gone extremely pale.**

Alex scrunched her nose and gagged. Theo wrapped an arm around her possessively.

**Half an hour later, the twins, who couldn't believe their luck, were sitting in the back of the Dursleys' car with Piers and Dudley, on the way to the zoo for the first time in their lives. Their aunt and uncle hadn't been able to think of anything else to do with them, but before they'd left, Uncle Vernon had taken the twins aside.**

"**I'm warning you," he had said, putting his large purple face right up close to Harry's,**

"Eww!" Most girls squealed.

"**I'm warning you now, boy, girl — any funny business, anything at all — and you'll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas."**

"Did he mean it?" asked Theo as he tightened his hold on Alex.

She shook her head. "No." she said unconcernedly. "It was just another empty threat."

Theo frowned. "Alex..."

"Seriously Theo," she looked up at him with a small smile. "I'm alright."

Theo hesitated, but left it... for now.

"**We're not going to do anything," said Alex, "honestly…"**

**But Uncle Vernon didn't believe them. No one ever did.**

**The problem was, strange things often happened around the twins and it was just no good telling the Dursleys they didn't make them happen.**

**Once, Aunt Petunia, tired of Harry coming back from the barbers looking as though he hadn't been at all, had taken a pair of kitchen scissors and cut his hair so short he was almost bald except for his bangs, which she left "to hide that horrible scar."**

Ginny growled.

**Dudley had laughed himself silly at Harry, who spent a sleepless night imagining school the next day, where he was already laughed at for his baggy clothes and taped glasses. Next morning, however, he had gotten up to find his hair exactly as it had been before Aunt Petunia had sheared it off.**

"The unbeatable Potter hair." Ron grinned and looked at Alex.

"You don't have it though." he said and Alex nodded.

"I know, thank Merlin."

**He had been given a week in his cupboard for this, even though he had tried to explain that he **_**couldn't **_**explain how it had grown back so quickly.**

"Petunia knows about accidental magic." muttered Snape in disdain.

**Another time, Aunt Petunia had been trying to force Alex into a revolting old sweater of Dudley's (brown with orange puff balls).**

"Bet it makes you think twice about your, eh Ron?" Alex mused as she saw the redhead turn a light shade of green. Ron nodded.

**The harder she tried to pull it over her head, the smaller it seemed to become, until finally it might have fitted a hand puppet, but certainly wouldn't fit Alex. Aunt Petunia had decided it must have shrunk in the wash and, to her great relief, Alex wasn't punished.**

"Good." George breathed.

**On the other hand, she'd gotten into terrible trouble for being found on the roof of the school kitchens.**

Harry glanced at her. "You never told me about that."

Alex shrugged. "Never came up."

**Harry was at the nurse's office, due to his broken nose. Dudley's gang decided to turn to Alex as their punching bag, and Pier hoping he could steal a kiss from her,**

"You never told me about that either!" Harry growled. Hermione and Ginny looked flabbergasted, and the Weasley twins, Ron, Blaise and Theo looked murderous.

Alex gulped.

**and to Alex's surprise as anyone else's, there she was sitting on the chimney.**

"Cool!" yelled Seamus and Dean.

The teacher's shared a look. It was powerful accidental magic.

**The Dursleys had received a very angry letter from the twin's headmistress telling them Alex had been climbing school buildings. But all she'd tried to do (as she shouted at Uncle Vernon through the locked door of her cupboard) was jump behind the big trash cans outside the kitchen doors. Alex supposed that the wind must have caught her in mid-jump.**

"We need to teach you how to lie better." said Daphne in disappointment.

"Give me a break. I was ten!"

**But today, nothing was going to go wrong.**

"You jinxed it!" cried Lee.

**It was even worth being with Dudley and Piers to be spending the day somewhere that wasn't school, their cupboard, or Mrs. Figg's cabbage-smelling living room.**

**While he drove, Uncle Vernon complained to Aunt Petunia. He liked to complain about things: people at work, Harry, the council, Alex, the bank, Alex and Harry were just a few of his favorite subjects.**

"He likes to complain about you two." said Ginny.

**This morning, it was motorcycles.**

"… **roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums," he said, as a motorcycle overtook them.**

"**I had a dream about a motorcycle," said Harry, remembering suddenly. "It was flying."**

**Alex smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand.**

A lot of people in the hall groaned.

"Give me a break!" cried Harry. "I was ten!"

**Uncle Vernon nearly crashed into the car in front. He turned right around in his seat and yelled at Harry, his face like a gigantic beet with a mustache:**

"Eww."

"**MOTORCYCLES DON'T FLY!"**

**Dudley and Piers sniggered. Alex glared at the furiously; and they shut up at once.**

"You do look scary when you're angry." Ron snickered, and Alex glared at him. He shut up.

"A-nd this is why you're in Slytherin." Hermione rolled eyes at her.

"**I know they don't," said Harry. "It was only a dream."**

**But he wished he hadn't said anything. If there was one thing the Dursleys hated even more than his asking questions, it was his talking about anything acting in a way it shouldn't, no matter if it was in a dream or even a cartoon — they seemed to think he might get dangerous ideas.**

The twins shared a grin.

"Nah, that would be Alex."

**It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with families. The Dursleys bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice creams at the entrance and then, because the smiling lady in the van had asked Harry and Alex what they wanted before the Dursleys could hurry them away, and bought them cheap lemon ice pops.**

"It was actually okay." Harry said.

**It wasn't bad, either, Harry thought, licking it as they watched a gorilla scratching its head who looked remarkably like Dudley, except that it wasn't blond.**

The Hall roared with laughter.

**Alex scolded him again -**

The hall fell silent and gaped at Alex.

**telling him the Dudley would make the gorilla look like a genius if he had a chance.**

People burst out laughing again.

"You two need to come pranking with us!" Fred gasped as he clutched his sides.

"And Merlin" gasped Goerge. "never give up that sense of humor!"

**Harry and Alex had the best morning he'd had in a long time. They careful to walk a little way apart from the Dursleys so that Dudley and Piers, who were starting to get bored with the animals by lunchtime, wouldn't fall back on their favorite hobby of hitting them.**

Hermione growled.

**They ate in the zoo restaurant, and when Dudley had a tantrum because his knickerbocker glory didn't have enough ice cream on top, Uncle Vernon bought him another one and the twins were allowed to finish the first.**

**They both felt, afterward, that they should have known it was all too good to last.**

**After lunch they went to the reptile house. It was cool and dark in there, with lit windows all along the walls. Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards and snakes were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone. Dudley and Piers wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man-crushing pythons. Dudley quickly found the largest snake in the place. It could have wrapped its body twice around Uncle Vernon's car and crushed it into a trash can — but at the moment it didn't look in the mood. In fact, it was fast asleep.**

**Dudley stood with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at the glistening brown coils.**

"**Make it move," he whined at his father. Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn't budge.**

"**Do it again," Dudley ordered. Uncle Vernon rapped the glass smartly with his knuckles, but the snake just snoozed on.**

"**This is boring," Dudley moaned. He shuffled away.**

**Harry and Alex moved in front of the tank and looked intently at the snake. They wouldn't have been surprised if it had died of boredom itself — no company except stupid people drumming their fingers on the glass trying to disturb it all day long. It was worse than having a cupboard as a bedroom, where the only visitor was Aunt Petunia hammering on the door to wake you up; at least he got to visit the rest of the house.**

"Why are you two comparing yourselves to a snake?" Ron asked. And the twins merely shrugged.

**The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised its head until its eyes were on a level with the twin's.**

_**It winked.**_

"Snakes don't have eyelids." Hermione commented in suspicion.

**Harry stared, and Alex looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching. They weren't. She looked back at the snake and winked, too.**

**The snake jerked its head toward Uncle Vernon and Dudley, then raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave Harry and Alex a look that said quite plainly:**

"_**I get that all the time."**_

"**I know," Harry murmured through the glass, though he wasn't sure the snake could hear him. "It must be really annoying."**

**The snake nodded vigorously.**

"You two are mental, conversing with a snake." Ron said with a shake of his head.

"We know." the two chorused.

"**Where do you come from, anyway?" Alex asked.**

**The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Harry peered at it.**

**Boa Constrictor, Brazil.**

"**Was it nice there?"**

The Slytherins, and the other houses paused (bar Daphne, Blaise, Theo and Astoria and the trio) to stare at her with wide eyes.

"You can speak parseltongue?" Malfoy asked her incredulously.

Alex gulped. "Uh... surprise?"

"Why am I not surprised?" Zacharias Smith sneered. "I bet she was the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets and set it off on all the muggleborns too!"

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Daphne Blaise, Theo and many others glared at him (even Snape). Umbridge looked as if Christmas had come early. Finally, a confession!

"Mr. Smith!" Professor Sprout gasped.

"Say that again, Smith." Harry snarled.

"Forget it, Harry." said Alex, and everyone turned to stare at her. "There are two things wrong with his accusations anyway."

"Oh yeah?" retorted Smith. "And what would that be?"

"Well, for one, the _heir_ of Slytherin is a guy." Alex replied, amused at the scowl that appeared on Smith's face, and the disappointment in Umbridge's. "And two, I'm a half-blood, so I don't give a damn about anyone's blood status."

People started laughing at the look on Smith's face, and Alex met her brother's stare. She smirked and glanced at Umbridge, who was fuming in her seat. Harry followed her gaze and grinned.

**The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign again and Alex read on: This specimen was bred in the zoo. "Oh, I see — so you've never been to Brazil?"**

Ron felt the urge to face-palm.

**As the snake shook its head, a deafening shout behind the twins made both of them jump. "DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT IT'S DOING!"**

**Dudley came waddling toward them as fast as he could.**

"You made him sound like a penguin." commented Neville.

Alex shook her head. "Can't be, penguins are cute, Dud doesn't fit the description." A few people snickered.

"**Out of the way, you," he said, punching Harry in the ribs.**

Ginny hissed.

**Caught by surprise, Harry tripped over Alex and both fell hard on the concrete floor.**

Growls echoed in the Hall.

**What came next happened so fast no one saw how it happened — one second, Piers and Dudley were leaning right up close to the glass, the next, they had leapt back with howls of horror.**

"What did you do? Fred asked excitedly. Alex shook her head with a smile.

"You'll see."

**Harry quickly rolled off Alex, sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor's tank had vanished.**

"Brilliant!" the Weasley twins cheered.

"If only they would put as much effort in classes." Snape commented dryly.

"But there aren't any snakes in your classes, Professor." Alex grinned.

Blaise howled with laughter. "Smart-arse."

**The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out onto the floor. People throughout the reptile house screamed and started running for the exits.**

**As the snake slid swiftly past him, Harry and Alex could have sworn a low, hissing voice said, **_**"Brazil, here I come… Thanksss, amigos."**_

"I wonder if he ever made it to Brazil?"Harry wondered.

**The keeper of the reptile house was in shock.**

"**But the glass," he kept saying, "where did the glass go?"**

"Stupid muggle." Malfoy sneered, but was ignored.

**The zoo director himself made Aunt Petunia a cup of strong, sweet tea while he apologized over and over again. Piers and Dudley could only gibber. As far as the twins have seen, the snake hadn't done anything except snap playfully at their heels as it passed, but by the time they were all back in Uncle Vernon's car, Dudley was telling them how it had nearly bitten off his leg, while Piers was swearing it had tried to squeeze him to death. But worst of all, for the twins at least, was Piers calming down enough to say, "Harry and Alex were talking to it, weren't you?"**

"Dear Merlin..." Hermione muttered.

**Uncle Vernon waited until Piers was safely out of the house before starting on the twins. He was so angry he could hardly speak. He managed to say, "Go — cupboard — stay — no meals," before he collapsed into a chair, and Aunt Petunia had to run and get him a large brandy.**

"What does he mean by _no meals?_" McGonagall hissed.

"He didn't mean it!" Alex said quickly.

"He was bluffing!" Harry said at the same time.

Snape narrowed his eyes at them. They were lying, he knew it.

**Harry and Alex laid in their dark cupboard much later, Harry wishing he had a watch. He didn't know what time it was and he couldn't be sure the Dursleys were asleep yet. Until they were, he and Alex couldn't risk sneaking to the kitchen for some food.**

"So that's how you two are so good in sneaking around." Ron mused and the twins smirked.

**They have lived with the Dursleys almost ten years, ten miserable years**

Dumbledore winced. He should have listened to Minerva.

**, as long as they could remember, ever since they were babies and their parents had died in that car crash. They couldn't remember being in the car when their parents had died.**

"Because it wasn't a car crash." said Professor Sinistra.

**Sometimes, when they strained their memories during long hours in their cupboard, Harry came up with a strange vision: a blinding flash of green light and a burning pain on his forehead.**

Everyone fell silent.

"You-you remember that?" Madam Hooch stuttered.

**Alex's wasn't any better. Besides the flash of green light, she could hear someone screaming. It sounded like a woman screaming.**

"W-what?" Madam Pomfrey gasped

_Lily..._ Snape thought again.

Everyone stared at the twins, who pointedly ignored the looks. Harry remained silent in his seat, and Alex was stiff in Theo's arms.

**This, they supposed, was the crash, though they couldn't imagine where all the green light came from.**

More growls.

**They couldn't remember their parents at all. Their aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and of course they were forbidden to ask questions.**

The Ravenclaws scowled.

**There were no photographs of them in the house.**

**When he had been younger, Harry had dreamed and dreamed of some unknown relation coming to take them away, but it had never happened; the Dursleys were their only family.**

"That's not true." said Hermione.

"Yeah, mate. You've got us." Ron added.

"And mom already considers you two family." Ginny nodded.

"And believe it or not, we're here for you too, Allie." Astoria gestured to their little group.

Harry and Alex smiled gratefully at them.

Theo broke the solemn moment with a scowl. "Only I can call her Allie, Astoria."

"You and you're bloody jealous streaks, Nott."

"I am _not _jealous!"

**Yet sometimes they thought (or maybe hoped) that strangers in the street seemed to know them. Very strange strangers they were, too. A tiny man in a violet top hat had bowed to Harry once while out shopping with Aunt Petunia and Dudley.**

Alex snickered and Harry stuck out his tongue at her.

**After asking Harry furiously if he knew the man, Aunt Petunia had rushed them out of the shop without buying anything. A wild-looking old woman dressed all in green had waved merrily at Alex once on a bus. A bald man in a very long purple coat had actually shaken their hands in the street the other day and then walked away without a word. The weirdest thing about all these people was the way they seemed to vanish the second wither Harry or Alex tried to get a closer look.**

"Apparition." Hermione said.

"We know that now." Harry pointed out.

**At school, the twins had no one but each other. Everybody knew that Dudley's gang hated that odd Harry Potter in his baggy old clothes and broken glasses, or Alex with her odd persona**

"Oi!"

**and smart remarks, and nobody liked to disagree with Dudley's gang.**

"That's the end of the chapter." said McGonagall. "Who's going to read next?"

"I will." said Dumbledore, summoning the book over to his hands.

* * *

**Hope you guys liked this chapter!**

**~Cassandra**


	3. The Letters From No One

**And here's the third chapter. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter; it all belongs to J.K Rowling and Warner Brothers Inc. However, I do own Alex.

**Pairings:** All are canon with the exception of my Theo/OC pairing.

* * *

Dumbledore clearedhis throat and read, "**The Letters From No One**"

**The escape of the Brazilian boa constrictor earned the twins their longest-ever punishment. By the time they was allowed out of their cupboard again, the summer holidays had started**

"When is Dudley's birthday?" Theo asked through clenched teeth.

Alex blanched. "I - We... uh..."

"Just answer the question, Potter." said Malfoy with a glare, and Alex sighed when everyone turned to her expectantly.

"June 23rd."

Ginny gripped the edge of the table, and Harry glanced at almost everyone's dark looks. If the Dursleys were here, they would have died ten times over.

"A month." Ginny hissed.

"Gin," Harry began, and flinched when Ginny screeched.

"They kept you in there for A BLOODY MONTH!"

Theo's grip on Alex's waist tightened and she winced.

"Theo, mate, you're hurting her." said Blaise, and Theo loosened his hold at once. "Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"It's not exactly something we'd want to make public, Zabini." said Harry.

**and Dudley had already broken his new video camera, crashed his remote control airplane, and, first time out on his racing bike, knocked down old Mrs. Figg as she crossed Privet Drive on her crutches.**

"Horrible child." The female staff muttered as one.

**Harry and Alex were glad school was over, but there was no escaping Dudley's gang, who visited the house every single day. Piers, Dennis, Malcolm, and Gordon were all big and stupid, but as Dudley was the biggest and stupidest of the lot, he was the leader.**

Harry snickered. "Think Malfoy's gang with -"

"- Goyle as the leader - No offense Greg." said Alex, and Goyle shrugged in response.

**The rest of them were all quite happy to join in Dudley's favorite sport: Potter Hunting.**

"Anyone want to go Dudley Hunting?" Astoria hissed angrily.

**This was why the twins spent as much time as possible out of the house, wandering around and thinking about the end of the holidays, where they could see a tiny ray of hope. When September came theyhe would be going off to secondary school and, for the first time in their lives, they wouldn't be with Dudley. Dudley had been accepted at Uncle Vernon's old private school, Smeltings.**

"Smeltings?" Daphne scrunched her nose, disgusted.

**Piers Polkiss was going there too, much to Alex's relief.**

"Of course." Harry laughed.

**The twins, on the other hand, were going to**

**"**Hogwarts!" Lee chided cheerfully.

**Stonewall High, the local public school. Dudley thought this was very funny.**

"How is it funny?" Angelina shook her head.

"These people clearly -"

"- have no sense of humor." said Fred and George.

**"They stuff people's heads down the toilet the first day at Stonewall," he told Harry and Alex. "Want to come upstairs and practice."**

**"No, thanks," said Harry.**

**Alex nodded, "The poor toilet's never had anything -"**

**"- as horrible as your head down it -" added Harry.**

**"- it might be sick." they chorused.**

The students in the hall burst into laughter, while the professors shook their heads at their students' cheek.

"Honestly, why aren't you two this funny here?" asked Fred.

Harry shrugged, and Alex snickered.

**Then they ran, before Dudley could work out what they'd said.**

"Still don't think he knows." the twins snorted as one.

"That was very Slytherins of you Potters." said Snape.

Alex smirked widely while Harry winced. When Alex noticed this, she glanced at him with a reassuring look, and he nodded.

**One day in July, Aunt Petunia took Dudley to London to buy his Smeltings uniform, leaving the twins at Mrs. Figg's. Mrs. Figg wasn't as bad as usual. It turned out she'd broken her leg tripping over one of her cats, and she didn't seem quite as fond of them as before. She let Harry watch television and gave Alex a bit of chocolate cake that tasted as though she'd had it for several years.**

Alex gagged and Harry laughed loudly.

**That evening, Dudley paraded around the living room for the family in his brand-new uniform. Smeltings' boys wore maroon tailcoats,**

A few started to snicker.

**orange knickerbockers,**

And more.

**and flat straw hats called boaters.**

Cue uproarious laughter.

**They also carried knobby sticks, used for hitting each other while the teachers weren't looking. This was supposed to be good training for later life.**

"How is that good training for later life?" McGonagall cried.

"Technically Professor, we do the same thing when we hex each other in the corridors." said Alicia. No one disagreed, there was a point.

**As he looked at Dudley in his new knickerbockers, Uncle Vernon said gruffly that it was the proudest moment of his life. Aunt Petunia burst into tears and said she couldn't believe it was her Ickle Dudleykins,**

More laughter.

"Sorry Ron." Fred and George said.

**he looked so handsome and grown-up. Harry didn't trust himself to speak. He thought two of his ribs might already have cracked from trying not to laugh. Alex bit her lip to stop the grin that was threatening to show, ignoring the coppery taste of blood on her tongue. This both amused and scarred her.**

There was no restraint now.

**There was a horrible smell in the kitchen the next morning when Harry and Alex went in for breakfast. It seemed to be coming from a large metal tub in the sink. They went to have a look. The tub was full of what looked like dirty rags swimming in gray water.**

**"What's this?" Harry asked Aunt Petunia. Her lips tightened as they always did if either dared to ask a question.**

**"Your new school uniforms," she said.**

**Harry looked in the bowl again.**

**"Oh," he said, "I didn't realize it had to be so wet."**

A lot of people snorted in amusement.

**"Or so ugly." added Alex.**

More snorts.

"Sarcasm doesn't work on her Potters." Snape shook his head slightly.

Harry and Alex shared a look. Did Snape know their mother?

**"Don't be stupid,"**

"It's not like we were doing it on purpose."

**snapped Aunt Petunia. "I'm dying some of Dudley's old things gray for you. It'll look just like everyone else's when I've finished."**

"I seriously doubt that." said Ginny.

**Harry seriously doubted this,**

The two blushed at the catcalls and whistles.

Alex met Harry's eyes and smirked as she sent him her thoughts.

_I smell love in the air._

_Oh, shut up Alex._

**but thought it best not to argue. He sat down at the table and tried not to think about how he was going to look on his first day at Stonewall High - like he was wearing bits of old elephant skin, probably.**

Snarls were heard.

**Dudley and Uncle Vernon came in, both with wrinkled noses because of the smell from Harry and Alex's new uniforms. Uncle Vernon opened his newspaper as usual and Dudley banged his Smelting stick, which he carried everywhere, on the table.**

There were a lot of snarls and looks of disgust. Then Seamus grinned.

"I just thought of something."

Dean turned to him. "What's that?"

Seamus grinned wider. "He bangs his stick."

The boys guffawed, the girls either looked confused or disgusted, and the teachers were livid.

"Mr. Finnigan!" McGonagall admonished.

**They heard the click of the mail slot and flop of letters on the doormat.**

**"Get the mail, Dudley," said Uncle Vernon from behind his paper.**

"What? They made the tub-o-lard actually do something?" Theo asked, astonished.

Harry chuckled, "Wait for it."

**"Make Harry get it."**

**"Get the mail, Harry."**

"Ah."

**"Make Dudley get it."**

"No such luck, brother." sighed Alex.

**"Poke him with your Smelting stick, Dudley."**

"What?!" Ginny snarled.

**Harry dodged the Smelting stick and went to get the mail. Three things lay on the doormat: a postcard from Uncle Vernon's sister Marge, who was vacationing on the Isle of Wight, a brown envelope that looked like a bill, and - a letter for Harry and Alex.**

**Harry picked it up and stared at it, his heart twanging like a giant elastic band. No one, ever, in their whole lifes, had written to them. Who would?**

"Try the entire Wizarding world." said Blaise.

Harry and Alex shared a look. "Really?"

"Every child in the wizarding world has written to you guys at least once or twice in their lives." said Malfoy, and Alex raised an eyebrow.

"Do _you_ happen to be one of those people?"

When he said nothing, Alex smirked and Harry shook his head. "Where are these letters anyway?"

"They are stored in your vault at Gringotts, Mr. Potter." said Dumbledore. "Would you like to read them?"

The twins nodded. There were many embarrassed, bashful, and horrified faces in the hall.

**They had no friends, no other relatives - they didn't belong to the library, so they'd never even got rude notes asking for books back. Yet here it was, a letter, addressed so plainly there could be no mistake:**

_**Mr. H. Potter**_

_**The Cupboard under the Stairs**_

_**4 Privet Drive**_

_**Little Whinging Surrey**_

**And the second one written in the same manner:**

_**Mr. A. Potter**_

_**The Cupboard under the Stairs**_

_**4 Privet Drive**_

_**Little Whinging Surrey**_

"So accurate."

"We should really start checking these things." McGonagall sighed, and Dumbledore nodded.

**The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment, and the address was written in emerald-green ink. There was no stamp.**

**Turning the envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion,**

The Gryffindors whooped and whistled.

**an eagle,**

"Ravenclaw!" the Ravenclaws cried.

**a badger,**

The Hufflepuffs cheered.

**and a snake**

Silence.

"Oh come on!" Alex cried, making the Slytherins chuckle.

**surrounding a large letter H.**

"Hogwarts!"

**"Hurry up, boy!" shouted Uncle Vernon from the kitchen. "What are you doing, checking for letter bombs." He chuckled at his own joke.**

"He - he murdered comedy!" Fred and George fell into Lee and and Angelina's arms. It took some time to revive them.

**Harry went back to the kitchen, still staring at his letter. He discreetly handed Alex hers and handed Uncle Vernon the bill and the postcard, sat down, and slowly began to open the yellow envelope.**

**Uncle Vernon ripped open the bill, snorted in disgust, and flipped over the postcard.**

**"Marge's ill," he informed Aunt Petunia. "Ate a funny whelk. -."**

"Shame. I would have liked to see her choke on something." Alex said bitterly.

"She can't be that bad." said Hermione. Both Alex and Harry turned to stare at her with raised eyebrows.

"Sure Mione - "

"- you say that now."

"**Dad!" said Dudley suddenly. "Dad, Harry and Alex's got something!"**

"I'm going to murder that brat." hissed Ginny.

**Harry was on the point of unfolding his letter, which was written on the same heavy parchment as the envelope, when it was jerked sharply out of his hand by Uncle Vernon.**

"Oi!" yelled Colin Creevey.

**Alex had already opened it, and managed to catch the words: **_**Hogwarts**_** and **_**witchcraft**_** before the letter was snatched from her.**

"You got more than I did, though." said Harry.

**"Hey, give it back!" cried Alex as she reached for it.**

**"That's **_**ours**_**!"said Harry, trying to snatch it back.**

"**Who'd be writing to you?" sneered Uncle Vernon, shaking the letter open with one hand and glancing at it. His face went from red to green faster than a set of traffic lights. And it didn't stop there. Within seconds it was the grayish white of old porridge.**

The twins laughed again as they remembered how their uncle had looked.

"**P-P-Petunia!" he gasped.**

**Dudley tried to grab the letter to read it, but Uncle Vernon held it high out of his reach. Aunt Petunia took it curiously and read the first line. For a moment it looked as though she might faint. She clutched her throat and made a choking noise.**

"**Vernon! Oh my goodness — Vernon!"**

"Drama Queen." muttered Malfoy. Unfortunately, the twins heard.

"Look who's talking." Harry retorted.

Alex pretended to clear her throat and made her voice a few pitched higher. "Oh no, it's killed me! My father will hear about this!" she said and pretended to faint in Theo's arms, the latter chuckling as he caught her.

Malfoy rolled his eyes at her. "I don't sound like that."

**They stared at each other, seeming to have forgotten that the twins and Dudley were still in the room. Dudley wasn't used to being ignored.**

"Poor Duddykins." muttered Ginny bitterly.

**He gave his father a sharp tap on the head with his Smelting stick.**

"No! Don't make him lose any more brain cells!" a Ravenclaw yelled, and people laughed.

"**I want to read that letter," he said loudly**.

"He doesn't have the right to!" hissed Hermione.

**"You don't have the right to!" Alex yelled at her cousin angrily.**

Alex and Hermione shared smirks.

**" **_**We **_**want to read it," said Harry furiously, "as it's **_**ours**_**."**

"Ah the Potter temper." mused Ron and he turned to Harry then Alex. "Something you both strongly have in common."

"Be afraid, be very afraid." Alex mocked.

"Is it that bad? I find it rather amusing." said Theo and a few other people from all houses snorted.

"Mate," said Fred. "You've never been on the receiving end of their tempers, have you?"

Theo and Astoria shook their heads.

"It's worse than Weaslette's Bat-Bogey hex." Malfoy shuddered.

"**Get out, all of you," croaked Uncle Vernon, stuffing the letter back inside its envelope.**

**The twins didn't move.**

"Any second now." muttered Ron.

"**WE WANT OUR LETTERS!" they shouted.**

Most people who have been on the receiving end, especially those who have been hexed by Alex and yelled at by Harry, shuddered.

"**Let **_**me **_**see it!" demanded Dudley.**

"**OUT!" roared Uncle Vernon, and he took both Harry and Dudley by the scruffs of their necks and threw them into the hall, while Aunt Petunia grabbed Alex's arm and threw her out the room**

Many people snarled at the book in Dumbledore's hands, who pretended to ignore the scathing glared of Snape and McGonagall.

**, slamming the kitchen door behind them. Harry and Dudley promptly had a furious but silent fight over who would listen at the keyhole; Dudley won, so Harry, his glasses dangling from one ear, lay flat on his stomach to listen at the crack between door and floor.**

"Scrawny git." said Ron.

**Alex rolled her eyes at them,**

Snape was strongly reminded of Lily.

**and stood on a chair to see from the top of the door.**

"Why didn't I think of that?"

"You were being stupid."

"**Vernon," Aunt Petunia was saying in a quivering voice, "look at the address — how could they possibly know where he sleeps? You don't think they're watching the house?"**

"Paranoid." snickered Angelina.

"**Watching — spying — might be following us," muttered Uncle Vernon wildly.**

"Oh please," said Millicent. "We have better things to do than watch boring muggles."

**"Who on earth would spy on these boring twats?" Alex whispered**

"Exactly!"

**and Harry tried to stop the grin that threatened to show.**

"**But what should we do, Vernon? Should we write back? Tell them we don't want —"**

**Harry could see Uncle Vernon's shiny black shoes pacing up and down the kitchen.**

"**No," he said finally. "No, we'll ignore it. If they don't get an answer… Yes, that's best… we won't do anything…"**

"Not going to work!" Fred and George sang.

"**But —"**

"**I'm not having one in the house, Petunia! Didn't we swear when we took him in we'd stamp out that dangerous nonsense?"**

There was an eerie silence in the Hall.

"_Stamp. Out?_" Hermione snarled.

"What did they mean by that?" McGonagall demanded as she stared at the twins fidgeting uncomfortably in their seats.

"Nothing." Harry muttered.

"Do they hit you, Potter?" hissed Snape.

When neither answered, McGonagall rounded on Dumbledore.

"How could you not know about this?" she yelled. "The best place for them, you said! They are being abused!"

Theo tightened his hold around Alex.

"Why didn't you tell us?" asked George.

"Never came up." both twins muttered.

**That evening when he got back from work, Uncle Vernon did something he'd never done before; he visited the twins in their cupboard.**

"How did he fit?" Ron exclaimed.

Alex shook her head with a frown as she tried to remember, while Harry looked thoughtful.

"Good point." he said. "But I think he barely got his head passed though."

"**Where's our letters?" said Harry, the moment Uncle Vernon had squeezed through the door. "Who's writing to us?"**

"**No one. It was addressed to you by mistake," said Uncle Vernon shortly. "I have burned it."**

"Oi!" yelled Katie.

"**It was **_**not **_**a mistake," said Alex angrily, "it had our cupboard on it."**

"You tell him!" Lee cheered.

"**SILENCE!" yelled Uncle Vernon, and a couple of spiders fell from the ceiling.**

Ron, Harry and Alex shuddered.

**He took a few deep breaths and then forced his face into a smile, which looked quite painful.**

"Hope it was," said Ginny scathingly.

"**Er — yes, you two — about this cupboard. Your aunt and I have been thinking… you're really getting a bit big for it… we think it might be nice if you moved into Dudley's second bedroom.**

More silence.

"_Second. bedroom?_" McGonagall snarled.

Snape scooted away from her.

"**Why?" said Harry.**

"Why are you questioning it?" asked Alicia.

"We were suspicious." answered Alex.

"It's not everyday they do something nice, so there had to be a catch." said Harry.

"**Don't ask questions!" snapped their uncle. "Take this stuff upstairs, now."**

**The Dursleys' house had four bedrooms:**

There seemed to be an uproar in Gryffindor and Slytherin table, and the twins tried to calm down their friends.

Snape sat with his jaw clenched.

**one for Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, one for visitors (usually Uncle Vernon's sister, Marge), one where Dudley slept, and one where Dudley kept all the toys and things that wouldn't fit into his first bedroom.**

"_Two. bedrooms..._" McGonagall hissed.

**It only took the twins one trip upstairs to move everything they owned from the cupboard to this room.**

Ron glanced at the twins guiltily. He had complained so many times about his hand me down belongings, when the twins never did.

**They sat down on the bed and stared around. Nearly everything in here was broken. The month-old video camera was lying on top of a small, working tank Dudley had once driven over the next door neighbor's dog; in the corner was Dudley's first-ever television set, which he'd put his foot through when his favorite program had been canceled; there was a large birdcage, which had once held a parrot that Dudley had swapped at school for a real air rifle, which was up on a shelf with the end all bent because Dudley had sat on it.**

"That was a waste." Harry snickered.

**Other shelves were full of books. They were the only things in the room that looked as though they'd never been touched, and Alex was happy to read each one of them.**

"Merlin..." Fred and George groaned.

"Oh shut up!" Alex said.

**From downstairs came the sound of Dudley bawling at his mother, "I don't **_**want **_**them in there… I **_**need **_**that room**

"No, he does not!" Cho snarled.

… **make them get out…"**

**Harry sighed and stretched out on the bed. Yesterday he'd have given anything to be up here. Today he'd rather be back in his cupboard with that letter than up here without it.**

**Alex on the other hand sat up, confused. What was Hogwarts? And what did it have to with witchcraft?**

"No fair! You were already piecing it together!" Harry whined.

**Next morning at breakfast, everyone was rather quiet. Dudley was in shock.**

'"Good," said Madam Pomfrey approvingly.

**He'd screamed, whacked his father with his Smelting stick**

"Horrible!" huffed Professor Sprout.

**, been sick on purpose, kicked his mother**

"Argh!" said Lavender.

**, and thrown his tortoise through the greenhouse roof, and he still didn't have his room back.**

"Good." Ginny snarled.

**Harry was thinking about this time yesterday and bitterly wishing he'd opened the letter in the hall, while Alex wished she had read it faster. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia kept looking at each other darkly.**

**When the mail arrived, Uncle Vernon, who seemed to be trying to be nice to the twins, made Dudley go and get it.**

"More like making sure they never get their letter." muttered Hermione.

**They heard him banging things with his Smelting stick all the way down the hall. Then he shouted, "There's another one! 'Ms. A. Potter, The Smallest Bedroom, 4 Privet Drive —'"**

"If he wanted to read it, why did he say that?" said Dean, and they were mutters around the Hall.

**With a strangled cry, Uncle Vernon leapt from his seat and ran down the hall, Harry and Alex right behind him. Uncle Vernon had to wrestle Dudley to the ground to get the letter from him, which was made difficult by the fact that Harry had grabbed Uncle Vernon around the neck from behind and Alex attempted to reach for the letter while their uncle was distracted.**

The famous quartet burst into peals of laughter.

"I see you had practice mate!" Ron gasped.

Harry laughed harder. "The neck was the same size too."

Alex and Hermione kept on laughing while others in the Hall just looked confused.

**After a minute of confused fighting, in which everyone got hit a lot by the Smelting stick, Uncle Vernon straightened up, gasping for breath, with Harry's letter clutched in his hand.**

"**Go to your cupboard — I mean, your bedroom," he wheezed at Harry. "Dudley — go — just go."**

More laughter.

**Harry walked round and round his new room, while Alex sat on the bed, reading. Someone knew they had moved out of their cupboard and they seemed to know they hadn't received their first letters. Surely that meant they'd try again? And this time Harry'd make sure they didn't fail. He had a plan.**

"Oh no." Ron said as he buried his face in his hands.

"What wrong with my plans?" Harry pouted

"No offense Harry but - " Hermione was cut off.

"You work better under pressure, mate."

**As soon as he had told Alex about it, she groaned and protested.**

**"Whatever you're planning this time, leave me out of it." she said.**

Harry huffed. "Some twin you are, Alex."

Alex rolled her eyes but grinned.

**The repaired alarm clock rang at six o'clock the next morning. Harry turned it off quickly and dressed silently. He mustn't wake the Dursleys. He stole downstairs without turning on any of the lights.**

**He was going to wait for the postman on the corner of Privet Drive and get the letters for number four first. His heart hammered as he crept across the dark hall toward the front door —**

"Hypothetically speaking, that is a pretty good plan." said Luna.

"**AAAAARRRGH!"**

**Harry leapt into the air; he'd trodden on something big and squashy on the doormat — something **_**alive**_**!**

**Lights clicked on upstairs and to his horror Harry realized that the big, squashy something had been his uncle's face.**

People burst out laughing.

**Alex had heard their uncle scream, and quickly pulled Harry back upstairs before their uncle could yell at him.**

"You have brilliant danger sense, you know that?" said Ron.

"You would have been spider food if I didn't."

**"What happened?" she asked. Harry explained his previous plan and what just occurred.**

**"Yes! Payback!" Alex cheered, and Harry chuckled at her antics.**

So did the rest of the hall.

**Uncle Vernon had been lying at the foot of the front door in a sleeping bag, clearly making sure that Harry didn't do exactly what he'd been trying to do. He went up to the twins' room and shouted at Harry for about half an hour and then told him to go and make a cup of tea. Harry shuffled miserably off into the kitchen - Alex following - and by the time he got back, the mail had arrived, right into Uncle Vernon's lap. Harry could see three letters addressed in green ink.**

"**I want —" he began, but Uncle Vernon was tearing the letters into pieces before his eyes.**

"Git." Ron hissed.

**Uncle Vernon didn't go to work that day. He stayed at home and nailed up the mail slot.**

"**See," he explained to Aunt Petunia through a mouthful of nails, "if they can't **_**deliver **_**them they'll just give up."**

"**I'm not sure that'll work, Vernon."**

"For once, she speaks sense." drawled Snape.

"**Oh, these people's minds work in strange ways, Petunia, they're not like you and me," said Uncle Vernon, trying to knock in a nail with the piece of fruitcake Aunt Petunia had just brought him.**

"Thank Merlin for that." sneered Malfoy.

**On Friday, no less than twelve letters arrived for the twins. As they couldn't go through the mail slot they had been pushed under the door, slotted through the sides, and a few even forced through the small window in the downstairs bathroom.**

**Uncle Vernon stayed at home again. After burning all the letters, he got out a hammer and nails and boarded up the cracks around the front and back doors so no one could go out. He hummed "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" as he worked, and jumped at small noises.**

"Paranoid!" Fred and George sang.

**On Saturday, things began to get out of hand. Twenty-four letters to the twins found their way into the house, rolled up and hidden inside each of the two dozen eggs that their very confused milkman had handed Aunt Petunia through the living room window.**

The twins snorted.

**While Uncle Vernon made furious telephone calls to the post office and the dairy trying to find someone to complain to, Aunt Petunia shredded the letters in her food processor.**

"**Who on earth wants to talk to **_**you **_**this badly?" Dudley asked Alex in amazement.**

"Loads of people!" said Lee.

"Like Ginny."

"And Theo." A few people snickered.

**On Sunday morning, Uncle Vernon sat down at the breakfast table looking tired and rather ill, but happy.**

"That's never a good sign." Sighed Alex.

"**No post on Sundays," he reminded them cheerfully as he spread marmalade on his newspapers**

Hermione snorted. "Marmalade on newspapers? Wonder what that tastes like."

**, "no damn letters today —"**

"Stupid muggle." sneered Pansy.

**Something came whizzing down the kitchen chimney as he spoke and caught him sharply on the back of the head.**

**Next moment, thirty or forty letters came pelting out of the fireplace like bullets.**

"Bloody brilliant." Seamus said with a grin.

**The Dursleys ducked, but Harry leapt into the air trying to catch one —**

"Born seeker." Angelina smiled.

**While Alex tried to snatch one while avoiding her Aunt and Uncle's grasps.**

"Chaser." Blaise said proudly.

**"Out! OUT!"**

**Uncle Vernon seized Harry and Alex around their waists and threw them into the hall.**

Growls ripped through the Hall, minus the Slytherins.

**When Aunt Petunia and Dudley had run out with their arms over their faces, Uncle Vernon slammed the door shut. They could hear the letters still streaming into the room, bouncing off the walls and floor.**

"**That does it," said Uncle Vernon, trying to speak calmly but pulling great tufts out of his mustache at the same time.**

"Idiot." sneered Snape.

"**I want you all back here in five minutes ready to leave. We're going away. Just pack some clothes. No arguments!"**

**He looked so dangerous with half his mustache missing that no one dared argue.**

Harry and Alex busted out laughing. Their uncle had looked absolutely ridiculous.

**Ten minutes later they had wrenched their way through the boarded-up doors and were in the car, speeding toward the highway. Dudley was sniffling in the back seat; his father had hit him round the head for holding them up while he tried to pack his television, VCR, and computer in his sports bag.**

**They drove. And they drove. Even Aunt Petunia didn't dare ask where they were going. Every now and then Uncle Vernon would take a sharp turn and drive in the opposite direction for a while.**

"**Shake 'em off… shake 'em off," he would mutter whenever he did this.**

"Merlin, he's really lost it." Neville said with a shake of his head.

"Can't lose what you never had, Nev." snickered Alex and Neville grinned.

"True."

**They didn't stop to eat or drink all day.**

Madam Pomfrey scowled, and glanced at the twins. They were much too skinny for their age.

**By nightfall Dudley was howling. He'd never had such a bad day in his life.**

"Welcome to Harry and Alex's life." hissed Alicia.

**He was hungry, he'd missed five television programs he'd wanted to see, and he'd never gone so long without blowing up an alien on his computer.**

**Uncle Vernon stopped at last outside a gloomy-looking hotel on the outskirts of a big city. Dudley and the twins shared a room with twin beds and damp, musty sheets. Dudley snored but Harry and Alex stayed awake, sitting on opposite sides of the windowsill, staring down at the lights of passing cars and wondering…**

"Wondering about what?" asked Dean.

"What was going on at the time." said Harry.

"What Hogwarts was." said Alex.

**They ate stale cornflakes and cold tinned tomatoes on toast for breakfast the next day.**

Ron looked scandalized. "That's not breakfast!"

**They had just finished when the owner of the hotel came over to their table.**

"'**Scuse me, but is any of you Mr. H. Potter or Ms. A. Potter? Only I got about an 'undred of these at the front desk."**

**She held up a letter so they could read the green ink address:**

_**Mr. H. Potter**_

_**Room 17**_

_**Railview Hotel**_

_**Cokeworth**_

**And the other one read:**

_**Ms. A. Potter**_

_**Room 17**_

_**Railview Hotel**_

_**Cokeworth**_

**Harry made a grab for the letter but Uncle Vernon knocked his hand out of the way.**

"Git." said George and began to scribble down on a piece of parchment.

**The woman stared.**

"**I'll take them," said Uncle Vernon, standing up quickly and following her from the dining room.**

"**Wouldn't it be better just to go home, dear?" Aunt Petunia suggested timidly, hours later, but Uncle Vernon didn't seem to hear her.**

**Exactly what he was looking for, none of them knew. He drove them into the middle of a forest, got out, looked around, shook his head, got back in the car, and off they went again. The same thing happened in the middle of a plowed field, halfway across a suspension bridge, and at the top of a multilevel parking garage.**

"**Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he?" Dudley asked Aunt Petunia dully late that afternoon.**

"He's probably off his rocker if his dimwitted son could sense it." mused Cho.

**Uncle Vernon had parked at the coast, locked them all inside the car, and disappeared.**

**It started to rain. Great drops beat on the roof of the car. Dudley snivelled.**

"**It's Monday," he told his mother. "The Great Humberto's on tonight. I want to stay somewhere with a **_**television**_**."**

**Monday. This reminded Harry of something. If it **_**was **_**Monday — and you could usually count on Dudley to know the days the week, because of television — then tomorrow, Tuesday, was Harry and Alex's eleventh birthday.**

"Happy Birthday!" yelled Fred and George.

Alex giggled and Harry just shook his head.

**Of course, their birthdays were never exactly fun — last year, the Dursleys had given them a coat hanger and a pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks.**

George was scribbling on his parchment again.

**Still, you weren't eleven every day.**

**Uncle Vernon was back and he was smiling.**

"Again, never a good sign." muttered Harry.

**He was also carrying a long, thin package and didn't answer Aunt Petunia when she asked what he'd bought.**

"**Found the perfect place!" he said. "Come on! Everyone out!"**

**It was very cold outside the car. Uncle Vernon was pointing at what looked like a large rock way out at sea. Perched on top of the rock was the most miserable little shack you could imagine. One thing was certain, there was no television in there.**

"**Storm forecast for tonight!" said Uncle Vernon gleefully, clapping his hands together. "And this gentleman's kindly agreed to lend us his boat!"**

**A toothless old man came ambling up to them, pointing, with a rather wicked grin, at an old rowboat bobbing in the iron-gray water below them.**

"**I've already got us some rations," said Uncle Vernon, "so all aboard!"**

**It was freezing in the boat. Icy sea spray and rain crept down their necks and a chilly wind whipped their faces.**

McGonagall scowled even more.

**After what seemed like hours they reached the rock, where Uncle Vernon, slipping and sliding, led the way to the broken-down house.**

**The inside was horrible; it smelled strongly of seaweed, the wind whistled through the gaps in the wooden walls, and the fireplace was damp and empty. There were only two rooms.**

**Uncle Vernon's rations turned out to be a bag of chips each and four bananas.**

"Those aren't rations!" snarled Madam Pomfrey.

**He tried to start a fire but the empty chip bags just smoked and shriveled up.**

"**Could do with some of those letters now, eh?" he said cheerfully.**

**He was in a very good mood. Obviously he thought nobody stood a chance of reaching them here in a storm to deliver mail. Harry privately agreed, though the thought didn't cheer him up at all.**

"Such a pessimist." said Ginny.

**As night fell, the promised storm blew up around them. Spray from the high waves splattered the walls of the hut and a fierce wind rattled the filthy windows. Aunt Petunia found a few moldy blankets in the second room and made up a bed for Dudley on the moth-eaten sofa. She and Uncle Vernon went off to the lumpy bed next door, and the twins were left to find the softest bit of floor they could and to curl up under the thinnest, most ragged blanket.**

**The storm raged more and more ferociously as the night went on. Harry nor Alex couldn't sleep. They shivered and turned over, trying to get comfortable, stomachs rumbling with hunger.**

More growls.

**Dudley's snores were drowned by the low rolls of thunder that started near midnight. The lighted dial of Dudley's watch, which was dangling over the edge of the sofa on his fat wrist, told Harry he'd be eleven in ten minutes' time. He lay and watched his birthday tick nearer, wondering if the Dursleys would remember at all, wondering where the letter writer was now.**

**Five minutes to go. Harry heard something creak outside. He hoped the roof wasn't going to fall in, although he might be warmer if it did.**

Alex looked at her brother strangely.

**Four minutes to go. Maybe the house in Privet Drive would be so full of letters when they got back that he'd be able to steal one somehow.**

**Three minutes to go. Was that the sea, slapping hard on the rock like that? And (two minutes to go) what was that funny crunching noise? Was the rock crumbling into the sea?**

**One minute to go and they'd be eleven. Thirty seconds… twenty… ten… nine — maybe they'd wake Dudley up, just to annoy him**

"DO IT!" yelled the Weasley twins and Lee.

— **three… two… one…**

**"Happy Birthday Harry" Alex whispered.**

**"Happy Birthday Alex." Harry smiled.**

**BOOM.**

"What?"

**The whole shack shivered and both bolted upright, staring at the door. Someone was outside, knocking to come in.**

"And that id the end of the chapter." announced Dumbledore. "Who shall read next?"

"I will." called Professor Flitwick as he levitated the book towards him.

* * *

**Hope you guys liked this chapter and please review!**

**~Cassandra**


	4. The Keeper of the Keys

**Hey guys! Here's the fourth chapter for you. And I was wondering how you guys would like a Blaise/Daphne pairing? I don't know, I think it fits. XD Anyways, on with the story.**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter; it all belongs to J.K Rowling and Warner Brothers Inc. However, I do own Alex.

**Pairings:** All are canon with the exception of my Theo/OC pairing.

* * *

"**The Keeper of the Keys**," Flitwick read.

Most people looked over at Hagrid.

**BOOM. They knocked again. Dudley jerked awake.**

"**Where's the cannon?" he said stupidly.**

"What was the difference?" said Harry indignantly.

**There was a crash behind them and Uncle Vernon came skidding into the room. He was holding a rifle in his hands – now they knew what had been in the long, thin package he had brought with them.**

"He brought a GUN!" snarled Hermione.

"Muggle weapon," Alex answered before any of her friends could ask.

"**Who's there?" he shouted. "I warn you — I'm armed!"**

"Aren't we all?" asked Blaise.

"It means he has a weapon." said Hermione.

Malfoy sneered. "What do you think our wands are for, Granger?"

**There was a pause. Then —**

**SMASH!**

**The door was hit with such force that it swung clean off its hinges and with a deafening crash landed flat on the floor.**

**A giant of a man was standing in the doorway. His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard, but you could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all the hair.**

Three out of four houses cheered, while Umbridge scowled.

**The giant squeezed his way into the hut, stooping so that his head just brushed the ceiling. He bent down, picked up the door, and fitted it easily back into its frame. The noise of the storm outside dropped a little. He turned to look at them all.**

"**Couldn't make us a cup o' tea, could yeh? It's not been an easy journey…"**

"Trust Hagrid to be casual about this." Fred said.

**He strode over to the sofa where Dudley sat frozen with fear.**

"**Budge up, yeh great lump," said the stranger.**

More cheers.

**Dudley squeaked and ran to hide behind his mother,**

"How is that going to work?" a Ravenclaw asked.

**who was crouching, terrified, behind Uncle Vernon.**

"Ah."

"**An' here's Harry an' Alexis!" said the giant.**

**The twins looked up into the fierce, wild, shadowy face and saw that the beetle eyes were crinkled in a smile.**

"**Las' time I saw you two, you was only a baby," said the giant. "Yeh look like yer dad, but yeh've got yer mum's eyes."**

"The first of many times we've been told." the twins smiled up at Hagrid.

**Uncle Vernon made a funny rasping noise.**

"YES, HE'S CHOKING!" yelled Fred and George.

"Weasley and Weasley, sit down!" said McGonagall.

"**I demand that you leave at once, sir!" he said. "You are breaking and entering!"**

"I'd like to see someone actually demand something of Hagrid." Ron snorted.

"**Ah, shut up, Dursley, yeh great prune," said the giant; he reached over the back of the sofa, jerked the gun out of Uncle Vernon's hands, bent it into a knot as easily as if it had been made of rubber, and threw it into a corner of the room.**

Cheers filled the Hall again, and Hagrid beamed. Meanwhile, Umbridge snarled under her breath.

**Uncle Vernon made another funny noise, like a mouse being trodden on.**

Snickers filled the Hall.

"**Anyway — Harry, Alexis" said the giant, turning his back on the Dursleys, "a very happy birthday to yeh. Got summat fer yeh here — I mighta sat on it at some point, but it'll taste all right."**

"Did you really eat it?" asked Ron.

Harry shrugged. "It was surprisingly edible."

**From an inside pocket of his black overcoat he pulled a slightly squashed box. Alex opened it with trembling fingers. Inside was a large, sticky chocolate cake with **_**Happy Birthday Potters **_**written on it in green icing.**

"Thanks Hagrid!" chorused the twins.

**Harry and Alex shared a look, and looked up at the giant. Harry meant to say thank you, but the words got lost on the way to his mouth, and what he said instead was, "Who are you?"**

"Manners, Mr. Potter." McGonagall reprimanded half-heartily.

**The giant chuckled.**

"**True, I haven't introduced meself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts."**

**He held out an enormous hand and shook Harry's whole arm. Alex snickered beside him.**

"**What about that tea then, eh?" he said, rubbing his hands together. "I'd not say no ter summat stronger if yeh've got it, mind."**

"Hagrid!" Professor Sprout admonished.

**His eyes fell on the empty grate with the shriveled chip bags in it and he snorted. He bent down over the fireplace; they couldn't see what he was doing but when he drew back a second later, there was a roaring fire there. It filled the whole damp hut with flickering light and Harry felt the warmth wash over him as though he'd sunk into a hot bath.**

**The giant sat back down on the sofa, which sagged under his weight, and began taking all sorts of things out of the pockets of his coat: a copper kettle, a squashy package of sausages, a poker, a teapot, several chipped mugs, and a bottle of some amber liquid that he took a swig from before starting to make tea.**

"What exactly does he keep in all his pockets?" some first-year asked incredulously.

**Soon the hut was full of the sound and smell of sizzling sausage.**

Ron was almost drooling and Ginny smacked him upside the head.

**Nobody said a thing while the giant was working, but as he slid the first six fat, juicy, slightly burnt sausages from the poker, Dudley fidgeted a little. Uncle Vernon said sharply, "Don't touch anything he gives you, Dudley."**

**The giant chuckled darkly.**

"**Yer great puddin' of a son don' need fattenin' anymore, Dursley, don' worry."**

The twins stood up and cheered loudly, and Snape began yelling at them to sit down.

**He passed the sausages to the twins, who were so hungry they had never tasted anything so wonderful, but they still couldn't take their eyes off the giant. Finally, as nobody seemed about to explain anything, he said, "I'm sorry, but I still don't really know who you are."**

McGonagall nodded approvingly.

**The giant took a gulp of tea and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.**

'He's got Ron's table manners,' Ginny whispered to Harry and Hermione, who promptly snorted.

Ron didn't hear them, since he was too busy looking scandalised over the lack of food in his sights.

"**Call me Hagrid," he said, "everyone does. An' like I told yeh, I'm Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts — yeh'll know all about Hogwarts, o' course.**

"**Er — no," said Alex.**

"Hagrid's not going to like that." Seamus grinned.

**Hagrid looked shocked.**

"Told you."

"**Sorry," Alex said quickly.**

"_**Sorry**_**?" barked Hagrid, turning to stare at the Dursleys, who shrank back into the shadows. "It's them as should be sorry! I knew yeh weren't gettin' yer letters but I never thought yeh wouldn't even know abou' Hogwarts, fer cryin' out loud! Did yeh never wonder where yer parents learned it all?"**

"**All what?" asked the twins.**

"**ALL WHAT?" Hagrid thundered. "Now wait jus' one second!"**

"Here it comes." Padma Patil grinned.

**He had leapt to his feet. In his anger he seemed to fill the whole hut. The Dursleys were cowering against the wall.**

"**Do you mean ter tell me," he growled at the Dursleys, "that this boy an' girl — these two! — know nothin' abou' — about ANYTHING?"**

"Way to make us sound stupid, Hagrid." the twins chorused solemnly, though they were grinning.

**Harry thought this was going a bit far. They had been to school, after all, and their marks weren't bad.**

"What happened then?" Hermione asked.

The twins shrugged.

**Alex just looked downright insulted.**

**"We know **_**some **_**things," she said. "We can, you know, do math and stuff."**

**But Hagrid simply waved his hand and said, "About **_**our **_**world, I mean. **_**Your **_**world. **_**My **_**world. **_**Yer parents' world**_**."**

"**What world?"**

**Hagrid looked as if he was about to explode.**

Many people in the Hall were at the edge of their seats in anticipation.

"**DURSLEY!" he boomed.**

**Uncle Vernon, who had gone very pale, whispered something that sounded like "Mimblewimble."**

People laughed.

**Hagrid stared wildly at the twins.**

"**But yeh must know about yer mum and dad," he said. "I mean, they're **_**famous**_**. You're **_**famous**_**."**

"**What? Our — our mum and dad weren't famous, were they?"**

A few Slytherins stared at the twins amusedly.

"Oi! Quit looking at us like that!" Alex snapped. "We were in shock!"

A few people laughed at her outburst, and Snape was thoroughly reminded of Lily's temper.

"**Yeh don' know… yeh don' know…" Hagrid ran his fingers through his hair, fixing Harry and Alex with a bewildered stare.**

"**Yeh don' know what yeh **_**are**_**?" he said finally.**

"Yeah, didn't you guys know?" Fred and George mocked. "You two are secretly flobberworms."

**Uncle Vernon suddenly found his voice.**

"**Stop!" he commanded. "Stop right there, sir! I forbid you to tell the children anything!"**

"Wow."

"He's going to get it now."

"He must have a death wish." Were a few thing muttered around the Hall.

**A braver man than Vernon Dursley would have quailed under the furious look Hagrid now gave him; when Hagrid spoke, his every syllable trembled with rage.**

"**You never told 'em? Never told 'em what was in the letter Dumbledore left fer 'em? I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! An' you've kept it from 'em all these years?"**

"**Kept **_**what **_**from us?" said Harry eagerly.**

"Ooh, Hagrid's not going to be happy." Angelina grinned.

**"Yeah, it's always 'don't ask questions' for us." Alex added innocently. Though Harry could see the devious glint in her eyes, and had to suppress a grin. 'Sneaky, very sneaky.' he thought.**

**Aunt Petunia glared at her.**

The Alex in the Hall was doing the same thing.

"What?"

Harry grinned. "You were mocking them, purposely trying to make Hagrid madder."

"Shut it Harry." she huffed.

"That is a very Slytherin move, Ms. Potter." drawled Professor Snape.

"What is?"

"That is."

"That what?" Alex grinned, and people began laughing.

Professor Snape sighed. "Nevermind."

"And this is why you're in Slytherin." Harry chuckled.

**"STOP! I FORBID YOU!" yelled Uncle Vernon in panic.**

**Aunt Petunia gave a gasp of horror.**

"Drama queen." Hermione muttered.

"**Ah, go boil yer heads, both of yeh,**

More laughs and cheers.

" **said Hagrid. "Harry — yer a wizard. An' Alex - yer a witch."**

'"Wow. Way to be blunt."

**There was silence inside the hut. Only the sea and the whistling wind could be heard.**

"**I'm a **_**what**_**?" gasped Harry.**

"Nice reaction. You took it better than I did." said Hermione.

**"That's not very nice." huffed Alex.**

The muggle-borns and a few half-bloods in the room laughed.

"**A wizard an' witch, o' course," said Hagrid, sitting back down on the sofa, which groaned and sank even lower, "an' a thumpin' good 'un, I'd say, once yeh've been trained up a bit. With a mum an' dad like yours, what else would yeh be? An' I reckon it's abou' time yeh read yer letter."**

"YES!" Most of the Hall chorused.

**Harry stretched out his hand at last to take the yellowish envelope, addressed in emerald green to **_**Mr. H. Potter, The Floor, Hut-on-the-Rock, The Sea.**_

"It's still scary how those things are bloody accurate." said Blaise. "Mum caught me hiding in the attic because of it."

**He pulled out the letter and read:**

_**HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY**_

_**Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE**_

_**(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)**_

_**Dear Mr. Potter,**_

_**We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.**_

_**Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.**_

_**Yours sincerely,**_

_**Minerva McGonagall,**_

_**Deputy Headmistress**_

**Alex's read the same thing, except her's read 'Ms. Potter.' She grinned, everything made sense.**

"Yeah to you."

"Shut it, Harry."

**Questions exploded inside Harry's head like fireworks and he couldn't decide which to ask first. After a few minutes he stammered, "What does it mean, they await my owl?"**

"That was your first question?" Pansy sneered.

"Raised by magic hating muggles, Parkinson." Alex spat. "What do you expect?"

"I expected your brother had more sense, Potter. Then again, he does hang around blood traitors and mudbloods."

Alex abruptly stood from her seat, as did Pansy, both reaching for their wands.

"You can insult me all you want, Parkinson. But _lay off_ my brother and his friends, _you hear me_?" Alex snarled.

The hall was silent, their gazes switching between the two girls apprehensively.

"Ms. Potter, Ms. Parkinson, sit down!" McGonagall demanded weakly, but neither would budge, nor put their wands down.

"Alex..." Theo and Blaise tried to get Alex to sit, but she wouldn't move.

"Alex, it's okay." said Harry from the next table, but he looked ready to pounce on the Slytherin himself.

"Yeah Lex, don't let her get to you." Hermione added, pleading with her eyes.

Alex was about to comply, when Pansy's shrill, sneering voice spoke again.

"Yeah, Potter. Listen to your stupid mudblood friend."

Alex opened her mouth to send a hex Pansy's way, but Theo placed a hand over her mouth ad tried to pull her back to her seat. Alex struggled against his grip, but Blaise moved in to help.

"Twenty points from Slytherin, Ms. Parkinson." Everyone froze as Snape's voice echoed in the Hall. Most looked up at the potions Master in shock, even a few of the teachers. Snape _never_ took points from Slytherin.

"Sit down Ms. Potter, unless you want more points taken away." said Snape.

Theo sat down, pulling Alex on his lap as she was still rather shocked to move. "You need to control your temper, love." he whispered to her.

Pansy was pulled down roughly in her seat by Daphne.

Flitwick cleared his throat and continued reading.

"**Gallopin' Gorgons, that reminds me," said Hagrid, clapping a hand to his forehead with enough force to knock over a cart horse, and from yet another pocket inside his overcoat he pulled an owl — a real, live, rather ruffled-looking owl — a long quill, and a roll of parchment. With his tongue between his teeth he scribbled a note that Harry and Alex could read upside down:**

"That's talent. We can't even read it right side up." said Fred.

_**Dear Professor Dumbledore,**_

_**Given Harry and Alex their letters.**_

_**Taking them to buy their things tomorrow.**_

_**Weather's horrible. Hope you're well.**_

_**Hagrid**_

**Hagrid rolled up the note, gave it to the owl, which clamped it in its beak, went to the door, and threw the owl out into the storm.**

"Poor owl." said Katie.

**Then he came back and sat down as though this was as normal as talking on the telephone.**

**Harry realized his mouth was open and closed it quickly. Alex was still watching with wide eyes.**

"**Where was I?" said Hagrid, but at that moment, Uncle Vernon, still ashen-faced but looking very angry, moved into the firelight.**

"**They're not going," he said.**

**Hagrid grunted.**

"**I'd like ter see a great Muggle like you stop 'em," he said.**

"**A what?" said Harry, interested.**

"**A Muggle," said Hagrid, "it's what we call nonmagic folk like them. An' it's your bad luck you grew up in a family o' the biggest Muggles I ever laid eyes on."**

"Literally." said Fred.

**'Literally.' Alex mentally added.**

Fred and Alex shared a grin, and Theo narrowed his eyes at the Weasley twin.

"Great prankster minds think alike!" Fred and George sang.

**We swore when we took them in we'd put a stop to that rubbish," said Uncle Vernon, "swore we'd stamp it out of them! Wizard and witch indeed!"**

"Did they ever hurt you two?" Hermione asked, dangerously calm.

"No!" Harry answered quickly.

"**You **_**knew**_**?" said Harry. "You **_**knew **_**I'm a — a wizard? And that Alex was a witch?"**

"**Knew!" shrieked Aunt Petunia suddenly. "**_**Knew**_**! Of course we knew! How could you two not be, my dratted sister being what she was?**

Snape snarled under his breath.

"Our mother is not dratted!" Snarled the twins. They've been doing that a lot more since they started reading the book.

**Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that — that **_**school **_**— and came home every vacation with her pockets full of frog spawn, turning teacups into rats. I was the only one who saw her for what she was — a freak!**

"Lily was NOT a freak!" McGonagall sniffed angrily.

**But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family!"**

**She stopped to draw a deep breath and then went ranting on. It seemed she had been wanting to say all this for years.**

"**Then she met that Potter at school and they left and got married and had you, and of course I knew you'd be just the same, just as strange, just as — as —**_**abnormal **_**— and then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with you!"**

All the women in the hall gasped in horror.

"That's how you found out?" Ginny growled. Harry nodded, gritting his teeth.

"How could they say that? To ELEVEN YEAR-OLDS!" Astoria snarled.

**Harry had gone very white, and Alex's expression darkened.**

In the Hall, Harry and Alex were similar.

**Alex was beyond furious, "Blown up? You told us they died in a car crash!"**

"**CAR CRASH!" roared Hagrid, jumping up so angrily that the Dursleys scuttled back to their corner.**

"**How could a car crash kill Lily an' James Potter? It's an outrage! A scandal! Harry an' Alexis Potter not knowin' their own story when every kid in our world knows their names!"**

"**But why? What happened?" Harry asked urgently.**

**The anger faded from Hagrid's face. He looked suddenly anxious.**

"**I never expected this," he said, in a low, worried voice. "I had no idea, when Dumbledore told me there might be trouble gettin' hold of yeh, how much yeh didn't know.**

Snape and McGonagall threw a glare at Dumbledore, who did his best to ignore them.

**Ah, Harry, I don' know if I'm the right person ter tell yeh — but someone's gotta — yeh can't go off ter Hogwarts not knowin'."**

**He threw a dirty look at the Dursleys.**

"Wish you did more than that." hissed Ginny.

Alex and Harry smiled grimly. "Oh, he did."

"**Well, it's best yeh know as much as I can tell yeh — mind, I can't tell yeh everythin', it's a great myst'ry, parts of it…"**

**He sat down, stared into the fire for a few seconds, and then said, "It begins, I suppose, with — with a person called — but it's incredible yeh don't know his name, everyone in our world knows —"**

"**Who?"**

"**Well — I don' like sayin' the name if I can help it. No one does."**

"**Why not?"**

"**Gulpin' gargoyles, Harry, people are still scared. Blimey, this is difficult. See, there was this wizard who went… bad. As bad as you could go. Worse. Worse than worse. His name was…"**

**Hagrid gulped, but no words came out.**

"Bet you can't get him to say it." said Ron.

"**Could you write it down?" Harry suggested.**

"**Nah — can't spell it.**

**All right —**_**Voldemort**_**. "**

As people around the Hall flinched, including Umbridge.

**Hagrid shuddered. "Don' make me say it again. Anyway, this — this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin' fer followers. Got 'em, too — some were afraid, some just wanted a bit o' his power,**'**cause he was gettin' himself power, all right. Dark days, Harry. Didn't know who ter trust, didn't dare get friendly with strange wizards or witches… terrible things happened. He was takin' over. 'Course, some stood up to him — an' he killed 'em. Horribly. One o' the only safe places left was Hogwarts. Reckon Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of. Didn't dare try takin' the school, not jus' then, anyway.**

The adults, excluding Umbridge, shuddered.

"**Now, yer mum an' dad were as good a witch an' wizard as I ever knew. Head boy an' girl at Hogwarts in their day! Suppose the myst'ry is why You-Know-Who never tried to get 'em on his side before… probably knew they were too close ter Dumbledore ter want anythin' ter do with the Dark Side.**

"**Maybe he thought he could persuade 'em… maybe he just wanted 'em outta the way.**

Snape's look darkened. He knew the reason Voldemort was at Godric's Hollow.

**All anyone knows is, he turned up in the village where you was all living, on Halloween ten years ago. You two was just a year old. He came ter yer house an' — an' —"**

All the decent people bowed their heads in respect.

**Hagrid suddenly pulled out a very dirty, spotted handkerchief and blew his nose with a sound like a foghorn.**

"**Sorry," he said. "But it's that sad — knew yer mum an' dad, an' nicer people yeh couldn't find — anywa…**

"**You-Know-Who killed 'em. An' then — an' this is the real myst'ry of the thing — he tried to kill you, too. Wanted ter make a clean job of it, I suppose, or maybe he just liked killin' by then.**

**But he couldn't do it. Never wondered how you got that mark on yer forehead? That was no ordinary cut. That's what yeh get when a powerful, evil curse touches yeh — took care of yer mum an' dad an' yer house, even — but it didn't work on you, an' that's why yeh two famous. No one ever lived after he decided ter kill 'em, no one except you two,**

_And the Dark Lord shall mark them as his equal..._

**an' he'd killed some o' the best witches an' wizards of the age — the McKinnons, the Bones,**

Susan Bones let out sob.

**the Prewetts**

The Weasleys looked solemn. Harry held a teary Ginny in his arms...

**an' you two was only a baby, an' you lived."**

**Something very painful was going on in Harry's mind. As Hagrid's story came to a close, he saw again the blinding flash of green light, more clearly than he had ever remembered it before — and he remembered something else, for the first time in his life: a high, cold, cruel laugh. Something else flashed in Alex's mind. A woman screaming, and dropping to the floor, though she couldn't see her face.**

McGonagall blanched. "You- you remember that?

Both teens nodded grimly, and many looked at them in horror.

"**Took yeh from the ruined house myself, on Dumbledore's orders. Brought yeh ter this lot… ."**

"**Load of old tosh," said Uncle Vernon. Harry jumped; he had almost forgotten that the Dursleys were there. Alex, teary, glared at the Dursleys through her watery eyes. Uncle Vernon certainly seemed to have got back his courage. He was glaring at Hagrid and his fists were clenched.**

"**Now, you listen here, " he snarled, "I accept there's something strange about you two, probably nothing a good beating wouldn't have cured**

"They better not have." growled Fred, George, Theo and Blaise. Harry rubbed his temples and Alex facepalmed.

**and as for all this about your parents, well, they were weirdoes, no denying it, and the world's better off without them in my opinion**

"Well no one asked your opinion!" Hermione snarled.

**asked for all they got, getting mixed up with these wizarding types — just what I expected, always knew they'd come to a sticky end —"**

"How _dare_ he!" spat Professor Sinistra.

**But at that moment, Hagrid leapt from the sofa and drew a battered pink umbrella from inside his coat. Pointing this at Uncle Vernon like a sword, he said, "I'm warning you, Dursley — I'm warning you — one more word…"**

**In danger of being speared on the end of an umbrella by a bearded giant, Uncle Vernon's courage failed again; he flattened himself against the wall and fell silent.**

"Good." said Professor Vector.

"**That's better," said Hagrid, breathing heavily and sitting back down on the sofa, which this time sagged right down to the floor.**

**Harry and Alex, meanwhile, still had questions to ask, hundreds of them.**

"**But what happened to Vol-, sorry — I mean, You-Know-Who?" asked Harry.**

Silence.

"You didn't say his name!" cried Ron in surprise.

"How long did that last exactly?" asked Harry and Alex shrugged in response.

"**Good question, Harry. Disappeared. Vanished. Same night he tried ter kill you. Makes yeh even more famous. That's the biggest myst'ry, see… he was gettin' more an' more powerful — why'd he go?**

"Because he's dead." said Umbridge approvingly.

Alex scoffed. "Oh please."

"**Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die.**

"He doesn't" said Harry scathingly with a pointed look at Umbridge, who glared nastily.

"LIES!"

"Oh shut up you _frilly pink toad!_" Everyone in the hall fell silent as they watched Umbridge anxiously. The woman sent Alex a sickly sweet smile.

"Miss Potter, unless you prefer another week of detention, you _will_ learn how to respect your superiors."

Alex continued to glare at the woman, but rubbed the back of her hand unconsciously. Harry, Ron and Hermione sent her a worried glance, Harry mentally telling her to keep her mouth shut.

**Some say he's still out there, bidin' his time, like, but I don' believe it. People who was on his side came back ter ours.**

Many Gryffindors snorted.

**Some of 'em came outta kinda trances. Don' reckon they could've done if he was comin' back.**

"**Most of us reckon he's still out there somewhere but lost his powers.**

"Is Hargid a seer?" Alex mocked whispered, and Harry smiled smiled grimly, and Umbridge glared at her.

"He is NOT back!" she snapped.

"Says you!" retorted the twins.

**Too weak to carry on. 'Cause somethin' about you finished him, Harry. There was somethin' goin' on that night he hadn't counted on —**_**I**_**dunno what it was, no one does — but somethin' about you stumped him, all right."**

**Hagrid looked at Harry and Alex with warmth and respect blazing in his eyes, but the twins, instead of feeling pleased and proud, felt quite sure there had been a horrible mistake.**

Snape was taken aback.

**A wizard and witch? Them? How could they possibly be? They'd spent their lives being clouted by Dudley, and bullied by Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon; if they was really magical, why hadn't they been turned into warty toads every time they'd tried to lock them in their cupboard? If they'd once defeated the greatest sorcerer in the world, how come Dudley had always been able to kick them around like a football?**

"It doesn't work that way." said Alicia.

"We know that now."

"**Hagrid," Alex said quietly, "I think you must have made a mistake. I don't think I can be a witch."**

**To their surprise, Hagrid chuckled.**

"**Not a witch, eh? Never made things happen when you was scared or angry?"**

**Harry looked into the fire. Now he came to think about it… every odd thing that had ever made his aunt and uncle furious with him had happened when he, Harry, had been upset or angry… Alex thought of the time she was chased by Dudley's gang, she had somehow found herself out of their reach… Harry, dreading going to school with that ridiculous haircut, he'd managed to make it grow back… and the very last time Dudley had hit him, hadn't he and Alex got their revenge, without even realizing they were doing it? Hadn't they set a boa constrictor on him?**

"Yes, and it was bloody brilliant." said Lee.

**Harry and Alex looked back at Hagrid, smiling, and saw that Hagrid was positively beaming at them.**

"**See?" said Hagrid. "Harry an' Alexis Potter, not a wizard or witch — you wait, you'll be right famous at Hogwarts."**

"Unfortunately." spat the twins in disgust.

**But Uncle Vernon wasn't going to give in without a fight.**

"Oh, bloody hell." muttered Theo as he nuzzled Alex's neck, wrapping his arms tighter around her. The Potter girl chuckled, and leaned into Theo.

"**Haven't I told you they're not going?" he hissed. "They're going to Stonewall High and they'll be grateful for it. I've read those letters and they need all sorts of rubbish — spell books and wands and —"**

"**If they want ter go, a great Muggle like you won't stop 'em," growled Hagrid. "Stop Lily an' James Potter's son an' daughter from goin' ter Hogwarts! Yer mad. Their names' been down ever since they were born. They're off ter the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world. Seven years there and they won't know themselves. They'll be with youngsters of their own sort, fer a change, an' they'll be under the greatest headmaster Hogwarts ever had Albus Dumbled—"**

"**I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!" yelled Uncle Vernon.**

"Oooh..." chorused the Hall.

**But he had finally gone too far. Hagrid seized his umbrella and whirled it over his head, "NEVER —" he thundered, "— INSULT — ALBUS — DUMBLEDORE — IN — FRONT — OF — ME!"**

"Now he's done it." smirked Professor Sinistra.

**He brought the umbrella swishing down through the air to point at Dudley — there was a flash of violet light, a sound like a firecracker, a sharp squeal, and the next second, Dudley was dancing on the spot with his hands clasped over his fat bottom, howling in pain.**

"What did you do?" said the Weasley twins and Lee excitedly.

**When he turned his back on them, Harry and Alex saw a curly pig's tail poking through a hole in his trousers.**

The Hall exploded into an uproar of laughter, and Hagrid beamed. Even a few teachers were applauding him.

**Uncle Vernon roared. Pulling Aunt Petunia and Dudley into the other room, he cast one last terrified look at Hagrid and slammed the door behind them.**

**Hagrid looked down at his umbrella and stroked his beard.**

"**Shouldn'ta lost me temper," he said ruefully, "but it didn't work anyway. Meant ter turn him into a pig, but I suppose he was so much like a pig anyway there wasn't much left ter do."**

The Weasley twins and Lee burst into more fits of laughter, turning as red as the famous Weasley hair.

**He cast a sideways look at a grinning Harry and a laughing Alex under his bushy eyebrows.**

"**Be grateful if yeh didn't mention that ter anyone at Hogwarts," he said. "I'm — er — not supposed ter do magic, strictly speakin'. I was allowed ter do a bit ter follow yeh an' get yer letters to yeh an' stuff — one o' the reasons I was so keen ter take on the job."**

"**Why aren't you supposed to do magic?" asked Harry.**

"**Oh, well — I was at Hogwarts meself but I — er — got expelled, ter tell yeh the truth. In me third year. They snapped me wand in half an' everything. But Dumbledore let me stay on as gamekeeper. Great man, Dumbledore."**

"**Why were you expelled?" asked Alex.**

"He'll never tell you that." said George knowingly.

"Yeah, we asked him." added Fred.

Harry, Alex, Ron and Hermione shared a smug look, which of course, Lee and the Weasley twins noticed.

"He told you?" gasped Lee.

"That's not fair!" whined Fred and George.

"Nah," Hagrid chuckled. "They figured it out."

"**It's gettin' late and we've got lots ter do tomorrow," said Hagrid loudly. "Gotta get up ter town, get all yer books an' that."**

**He took off his thick black coat and threw it to the twwins.**

"**You can kip under that," he said. "Don' mind if it wriggles a bit, I think I still got a couple o' dormice in one o' the pockets."**

"Ew.." said Lavender. "What else does he keep in his pockets?"

"Who's next?" called Flitwick.

"I'll read." said Professor Sprout.

* * *

**Hope you guys liked this chapter and please review, it would mean a lot to me! Also, please check out my new stories, "Just Your Daily Dose of Mischief" and "A Twist in Time!**

**~Cassandra**


	5. Diagon Alley

**Hey guys. I apologize for the slow update, but here's another chapter for you. Anyways, thanks for all the great comments! Now, on with the story!**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter; it all belongs to J.K Rowling and Warner Brothers Inc. However, I do own Alex.

**Pairings:** All are canon with the exception of my Theo/OC pairing.

* * *

"**Diagon Alley**" read Professor Sprout.

**Harry woke early the next morning. Although he could tell it was daylight, he kept his eyes shut tight.**

_**It was a dream, **_**he told himself firmly. **_**I dreamed a giant called Hagrid came to tell me I was going to a school for wizards. When I open my eyes I'll be at home in my cupboard.**_

"Ever the pessimist, Harry?" Hermione shook her head.

**There was suddenly a loud tapping noise and he felt Alex stir beside him.**

_**And there's Aunt Petunia knocking on the door**_**, Harry thought, his heart sinking.**

"That's sad. The best thing that ever happened to you two, and you think it was all a dream." said Ron.

**But he still didn't open his eyes. It had been such a good dream.**

**Tap. Tap. Tap.**

**"Harry..." Alex muttered, shaking him awake.**

"**All right," Harry mumbled, "I'm getting up."**

"Good, 'cause if you hadn't, I would have used a more painful tactic." Alex smirked playfully when Harry rolled his eyes. The Slytherin boys winced and instinctively covered their groins.

**He sat up and Hagrid's heavy coat fell off him and Alex. The hut was full of sunlight, the storm was over, Hagrid himself was asleep on the collapsed sofa, and there was an owl rapping its claw on the window, a newspaper held in its beak.**

**Harry scrambled to his feet, so happy he felt as though a large balloon was swelling inside him.**

"Nice metaphor." Angelina snickered.

"Really? A balloon?" Ron grinned.

**He went straight to the window and jerked it open. The owl swooped in and dropped the newspaper on top of Hagrid, who didn't wake up. The owl then fluttered onto the floor and began to attack Hagrid's coat.**

"**Don't do that."**

**Harry tried to wave the owl out of the way, but it snapped its beak fiercely at him and carried on savaging the coat.**

"**Hagrid!" said Harry loudly. "There's an owl —"**

"**Pay him," Hagrid grunted into the sofa.**

"**What?"**

"**He wants payin' fer deliverin' the paper. Look in the pockets."**

**Hagrid's coat seemed to be made of nothing **_**but **_**pockets — bunches of keys, slug pellets, balls of string, peppermint humbugs, teabags…**

"I dread to think what else he keeps in there." Blaise shook his head.

**finally, Harry pulled out a handful of strange-looking coins.**

"**Give him five Knuts," said Hagrid sleepily.**

"How is he going to know that?"

"**Knuts?"**

"**The little bronze ones."**

**Harry counted out five little bronze coins, and the owl held out his leg so Harry could put the money into a small leather pouch tied to it. Then he flew off through the open window.**

**Hagrid yawned loudly, sat up, and stretched.**

"**Best be off, you two, lots ter do today, gotta get up ter London an' buy all yer stuff fer school."**

**Harry was turning over the wizard coins and looking at them. He had just thought of something that made him feel as though the happy balloon inside him had got a puncture.**

"NOOOO!" cried Fred and George dramatically. "Not the balloon!"

**Alex glanced at him and frowned, she knew what he was thinking.**

"When do you _NOT_ know what he's thinking?" smirked Ron.

Alex shrugged. "It's a twin thing, I don't question it."

"**Um — Hagrid?" said Alex.**

"**Mm?" said Hagrid, who was pulling on his huge boots.**

"**We haven't got any money — and you heard Uncle Vernon last night… he won't pay for us to go and learn magic."**

"Git."

"Whale."

"Pig."

"Basta-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, Weasley!"

"**Don't worry about that," said Hagrid, standing up and scratching his head. "D'yeh think yer parents didn't leave yeh anything?"**

"**But if their house was destroyed —" said Harry.**

"**They didn' keep their gold in the house, boy!**

"Don't call him that, Hagrid." Madam Pince shook her head.

**Nah, first stop fer us is Gringotts. Wizards' bank. Have a sausage, they're not bad cold — an' I wouldn' say no teh a bit o' yer birthday cake, neither."**

"**Wizards have **_**banks**_**?"**

"Where do you think we keep our gold, Potter?" sneered Zacharias.

Alex glared at him. "Watch you're mouth, Smith."

"Or what?" If looks could kill, Zacharias would have died on the spot. Alex was about to get up, but Theo kept a hold on her waist.

"Let me go, Theo!" growled Alex. "I'm going teach that tosspot not to mess with family."

"Alex..." Harry chimed from the next table. "Don't. He's not worth it. You can't go around hexing people just because they say things about me."

Alex abruptly turned to her brother. "But Harry-"

"No." Harry said sternly. "Leave it."

Alex sighed, but nodded.

"**Just the one. Gringotts. Run by goblins."**

**Harry dropped the bit of sausage he was holding.**

"_**Goblins**_**?"**

"**Yeah — so yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it, I'll tell yeh that.**

"Does that mean Harry or Alex would try to rob it one day?" Hermione teased, earning laughs around the hall.

**Never mess with goblins, yeh two. Gringotts is the safest place in the world fer anything yeh want ter keep safe — 'cept maybe Hogwarts. As a matter o' fact, I gotta visit Gringotts anyway. Fer Dumbledore. Hogwarts business." Hagrid drew himself up proudly.**

"No! You just spiked their curiosity!" cried Ron.

"**He usually gets me ter do important stuff fer him. Fetchin' you **— **gettin' things from Gringotts — knows he can trust me, see."**

"**Got everythin'? Come on, then."**

**Harry and Alex followed Hagrid out onto the rock. The sky was quite clear now and the sea gleamed in the sunlight. The boat Uncle Vernon had hired was still there, with a lot of water in the bottom after the storm.**

"**How did you get here?" Harry asked, looking around for another boat.**

"**Flew," said Hagrid.**

"_Flew?"_ said Ginny incredulously.

"_**Flew**_**?"**

"Okay, now this is just getting weird."

"You know you like it, Gin."

"Shut up, George!"

"**Yeah — but we'll go back in this. Not s'pposed ter use magic now I've got yeh."**

**They settled down in the boat, Harry and Alex still staring at Hagrid, trying to imagine him flying.**

"Wow." Lee shook his head. "Can't really imagine him flying, to be honest."

"**Seems a shame ter row, though," said Hagrid, giving the twins another of his sideways looks. "If I was ter — er — speed things up a bit, would yeh mind not mentionin' it at Hogwarts?"**

A few teachers glanced at Hagrid amusedly.

"**Of course not," said Alex, eager to see more magic. Hagrid pulled out the pink umbrella again, tapped it twice on the side of the boat, and they sped off toward land.**

"**Why would you be mad to try and rob Gringotts?" Harry asked.**

"**Spells — enchantments," said Hagrid, unfolding his newspaper as he spoke. "They say there's dragons guardin' the high security vaults. And then yeh gotta find yer way — Gringotts is hundreds of miles under London, see. Deep under the Underground. Yeh'd die of hunger tryin' ter get out, even if yeh did manage ter get yer hands on summat."**

**Harry and Alex sat and thought about this while Hagrid read his newspaper, the **_**Daily Prophet**_**. The twins had learned from Uncle Vernon that people liked to be left alone while they did this, but it was very difficult, they'd never had so many questions in their lives.**

"**Ministry o' Magic messin' things up as usual," Hagrid muttered, turning the page.**

"We do not mess things up!" cried Fudge. This was the first time he had spoken since they started reading.

Percy and Umbridge nodded in agreement.

"Really?" said Alicia incredulously. "Hard to tell."

This earned a few snickeres around the Hall, specifically from the DA members.

"**There's a Ministry of Magic?" Alex asked, before she could stop herself.**

"Well, if you can even call them that, then sure." George shrugged, and Percy scowled at him.

"'**Course," said Hagrid. "They wanted Dumbledore fer Minister, o' course, but he'd never leave Hogwarts, so old Cornelius Fudge got the job. Bungler if ever there was one.**

The DA members burst into full out laughter, so did many others in the Hall as Fudge turned red.

**So he pelts Dumbledore with owls every morning, askin' fer advice."**

"I do _not!"_

More snickers.

"**But what does a Ministry of Magic **_**do**_**?"**

"Nothing!" Ginny growled.

"Ginevra Weasley!" barked Percy.

"Shut up, Weatherby!"

"**Well, their main job is to keep it from the Muggles that there's still witches an' wizards up an' down the country."**

"**Why?"**

"_**Why? **_**Blimey, everyone'd be wantin' magic solutions to their problems. Nah, we're best left alone."**

**At this moment the boat bumped gently into the harbor wall. Hagrid folded up his newspaper, and they clambered up the stone steps onto the street.**

**Passersby stared a lot at Hagrid as they walked through the little town to the station. Harry nor Alex could blame them. Not only was Hagrid twice as tall as anyone else, he kept pointing at perfectly ordinary things like parking meters and saying loudly, "See that? Things these Muggles dream up, eh?"**

"Hagrid!" the teachers groaned.

"**Hagrid," said Alex, panting a bit as she and Harry ran to keep up, "did you say there are **_**dragons **_**at Gringotts?"**

"**Well, so they say," said Hagrid. "Crikey, I'd like a dragon."**

"**You'd **_**like **_**one?"**

"**Wanted one ever since I was a kid — here we go."**

Ron, Hermione, and Harry all exchanged a look. They were going to be in so much trouble when the teachers found out about the dragon.

Alex scowled at Malfoy.

**They had reached the station. There was a train to London in five minutes' time. Hagrid, who didn't understand "Muggle money," as he called it, gave the bills to Harry and Alex so they could buy their tickets.**

**People stared more than ever on the train. Hagrid took up two seats and sat knitting what looked like a canary-yellow circus tent.**

Many people snorted.

"**Still got yer letters?" he asked as he counted stitches.**

**Harry and Alex took the parchment envelope out of their pockets.**

"**Good," said Hagrid. "There's a list there of everything yeh need."**

**Harry unfolded a second piece of paper he hadn't noticed the night before, and read:**

_**HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY**_

_**UNIFORM**_

_**First-year students will require:**_

_**1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)**_

_**2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear**_

"Why do we even need that hat?"

_**3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)**_

_**4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)**_

_**Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags**_

_**COURSE BOOKS**_

_**All students should have a copy of each of the following:**_

_**The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)by Miranda Goshawk**_

_**A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot**_

_**Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling**_

_**A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch**_

_**One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore**_

_**Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger**_

_**Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander**_

_**The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble**_

_**OTHER EQUIPMENT**_

_**1 wand**_

_**1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)**_

_**1 set of glass or crystal phials**_

_**1 telescope set**_

_**1 brass scales**_

_**Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad**_

_**PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS**_

"Unless your Harry or Alexis Potter!" chorused Fred and George, earning a scowl from Alex.

"Don't call me Alexis."

**Alex's said the same thing.**

**"Can we buy all this in London?" Harry wondered aloud.**

"**If yeh know where to go," said Hagrid.**

**The twins had never been to London before. Although Hagrid seemed to know where he was going, he was obviously not used to getting there in an ordinary way. He got stuck in the ticket barrier on the Underground,**

Some of the students, particularly Muggleborns, snickered.

**and complained loudly that the seats were too small and the trains too slow.**

"**I don't know how the Muggles manage without magic," he said as they climbed a broken-down escalator that led up to a bustling road lined with shops.**

**Hagrid was so huge that he parted the crowd easily; all the twins had to do was keep close behind him. They passed book shops and music stores, hamburger restaurants and cinemas, but nowhere that looked as if it could sell you a magic wand. This was just an ordinary street full of ordinary people. Could there really be piles of wizard gold buried miles beneath them? Were there really shops that sold spell books and broomsticks? Might this not all be some huge joke that the Dursleys had cooked up?**

"No, they don't approve of imagination, remember?" said Luna.

**If Harry or Alex hadn't known that the Dursleys had no sense of humor, they might have thought so;**

"See?"

**yet somehow, even though everything Hagrid had told them so far was unbelievable, the twins couldn't help trusting him.**

Umbridge sneered in disdain as there were nods of agreement around the Hall.

"**This is it," said Hagrid, coming to a halt, "the Leaky Cauldron. It's a famous place."**

**It was a tiny, grubby-looking pub. If Hagrid hadn't pointed it out, Harry wouldn't have noticed it was there. The people hurrying by didn't glance at it. Their eyes slid from the big book shop on one side to the record shop on the other as if they couldn't see the Leaky Cauldron at all. In fact, Harry had the most peculiar feeling that only he and Hagrid could see it.**

"Of course the filthy Muggles can't see it, Potter," Malfoy drawled.

"We know that now, Malfoy."

**Before either could mention this, Hagrid had steered them inside.**

**For a famous place, it was very dark and shabby. A few old women were sitting in a corner, drinking tiny glasses of sherry. One of them was smoking a long pipe. A little man in a top hat was talking to the old bartender, who was quite bald and looked like a toothless walnut.**

Everyone who had met Tom snickered at the comparison.

**The low buzz of chatter stopped when they walked in. Everyone seemed to know Hagrid; they waved and smiled at him, and the bartender reached for a glass, saying, "The usual, Hagrid?"**

"**Can't, Tom, I'm on Hogwarts business," said Hagrid, clapping both his great hands on Harry and Alex's shoulders, making Harry's knees buckle and Alex wince.**

Hagrid smiled sheepishly.

"**Good Lord," said the bartender, peering at Harry, "is this — can this be —?"**

"Oh, here it comes." groaned Harry. Alex slammed her head on the table, much to the amusement of her fellow Slytherins.

**The Leaky Cauldron had suddenly gone completely still and silent.**

"**Bless my soul," whispered the old bartender, "Harry and Alexis Potter… what an honor."**

Harry grimaced, while Alex huffed.

"Why won't people stop calling me by my full name?"

"Well _Alexis,_ it's that people don't really know you didn't like it _Alexis,_ so I think you should get used to it, isn't that right _Alexis_?"

The glare Alex sent George made him shrink away from her in fear.

**He hurried out from behind the bar, rushed toward Harry and seized his hand, tears in his eyes.**

"**Welcome back, Potters, welcome back."**

**Harry and Alex didn't know what to say. Everyone was looking at them. The old woman with the pipe was puffing on it without realizing it had gone out. Hagrid was beaming.**

**Then there was a great scraping of chairs and the next moment, Harry and Alex found themselved shaking hands with everyone in the Leaky Cauldron.**

The twins banged their heads in the table.

"**Doris Crockford, Mr. Potter, can't believe I'm meeting you at last."**

"**So proud, Ms. Potter, I'm just so proud."**

"**Always wanted to shake your hand — I'm all of a flutter."**

"**Delighted, Mr. Potter, just can't tell you, Diggle's the name, Dedalus Diggle."**

"**I've seen you before!" said Harry, as Dedalus Diggle's top hat fell off in his excitement. "You bowed to me once in a shop."**

"**He remembers!" cried Dedalus Diggle, looking around at everyone. "Did you hear that? He remembers me!"**

People snickered.

**Harry and Alex shook hands again and again — Doris Crockford kept coming back for more.**

**A pale young man made his way forward, very nervously. One of his eyes was twitching.**

Harry, and Ron glared at the book, while Alex and Hermione snarled.

Theo, Blaise, and Daphne glanced at Alex curiously.

"**Professor Quirrell!" said Hagrid. "Harry, Alex, Professor Quirrell will be one of your teachers at Hogwarts."**

"**P-P-Potters," stammered Professor Quirrell, grasping Alex's hand, "c-can't t-tell you how p-pleased I am to meet you."**

"Merlin, not that stutter again." Angelina groaned.

"**What sort of magic do you teach, Professor Quirrell?"**

"**D-Defense Against the D-D-Dark Arts," muttered Professor Quirrell, as though he'd rather not think about it.**

"**N-not that you n-need it, eh, P-P-Potters?" He laughed nervously. "You'll be g-getting all your equipment, I suppose? I've g-got to p-pick up a new b-book on vampires, m-myself." He looked terrified at the very thought.**

"Idiot." Snape sneered.

**But the others wouldn't let Professor Quirrell keep the twins to himself. It took almost ten minutes to get away from them all.**

"Hagrid fed them to the wolves!" cried a Hufflepuff.

**At last, Hagrid managed to make himself heard over the babble.**

"**Must get on — lots ter buy. Come on, you two."**

**Doris Crockford shook Harry's hand one last time, and Hagrid led them through the bar and out into a small, walled courtyard, where there was nothing but a trash can and a few weeds.**

**Hagrid grinned at Harry and Alex.**

"**Told yeh, didn't I? Told yeh you was famous. Even Professor Quirrell was tremblin' ter meet yeh — mind you, he's usually tremblin'."**

Everyone who knew the full story of what had happened that year scowled.

"**Is he always that nervous?"**

"Nah."

"**Oh, yeah. Poor bloke. Brilliant mind.**

**He was fine while he was studyin' outta books but then he took a year off ter get some firsthand experience… They say he met vampires in the Black Forest, and there was a nasty bit o' trouble with a hag — never been the same since.**

**Scared of the students, scared of his own subject — now, where's me umbrella?"**

**Vampires? Hags? the twins' heads were swimming. Hagrid, meanwhile, was counting bricks in the wall above the trash can.**

"**Three up… two across…" he muttered. "Right, stand back."**

**He tapped the wall three times with the point of his umbrella.**

**The brick he had touched quivered — it wriggled — in the middle, a small hole appeared — it grew wider and wider — a second later they were facing an archway large enough even for Hagrid, an archway onto a cobbled street that twisted and turned out of sight.**

"**Welcome," said Hagrid, "to Diagon Alley."**

A lot of the students sighed with distant smiles on their faces as they remembered their first trips to Diagon Alley.

**He grinned at Harry and Alex's amazement. They stepped through the archway. Harry looked quickly over his shoulder and saw the archway shrink instantly back into solid wall.**

**The sun shone brightly on a stack of cauldrons outside the nearest shop. Cauldrons — All Sizes — Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver — Self-Stirring — Collapsible, said a sign hanging over them.**

"**Yeah, you'll be needin' one," said Hagrid, "but we gotta get yer money first."**

**Harry wished he had about eight more eyes.**

Ron shuddered at the spider reference. Alex snickered.

**He turned his head in every direction as they walked up the street, trying to look at everything at once: the shops, the things outside them, the people doing their shopping. A plump woman outside an Apothecary was shaking her head as they passed, saying, "Dragon liver, sixteen Sickles an ounce, they're mad…"**

"Wasn't that Mrs. Weasley?" Alex asked Harry, who nodded.

**A low, soft hooting came from a dark shop with a sign saying Eeylops Owl Emporium — Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown, and Snowy. Several boys of about the twin's age had their noses pressed against a window with broomsticks in it. "Look," Harry and Alex heard one of them say, "the new Nimbus Two Thousand — fastest ever —"**

Harry and Alex smiled sadly. As much as they loved their Firebolts, they missed their old broomsticks.

**There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments Harry had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels' eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills, and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon…**

"**Gringotts," said Hagrid.**

**They had reached a snowy white building that towered over the other little shops. Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold, was —**

"**Yeah, that's a goblin," said Hagrid quietly as they walked up the white stone steps toward him. The goblin was about a head shorter than the twins. He had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard and, Harry and Alex noticed, very long fingers and feet. He bowed as they walked inside. Now they were facing a second pair of doors, silver this time, with words engraved upon them:**

_**Enter, stranger, but take heed**_

_**Of what awaits the sin of greed,**_

_**For those who take, but do not earn,**_

_**Must pay most dearly in their turn.**_

_**So if you seek beneath our floors**_

_**A treasure that was never yours,**_

_**Thief, you have been warned, beware**_

_**Of finding more than treasure there.**_

"**Like I said, Yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it," said Hagrid.**

"Oh, so Harry and Alex would be robbing it in the near future?" Ron snickered, and he was hit by Harry, and Alex threw a book his way, hitting him on the forehead.

"_OW!_ Bloody chaser skills."

**A pair of goblins bowed them through the silver doors and they were in a vast marble hall. About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses. There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, and yet more goblins were showing people in and out of these. Hagrid and Harry made for the counter.**

"**Morning," said Hagrid to a free goblin. "We've come ter take some money outta Mr. Harry Potter and Ms. Alexis Potter's safe."**

"**You have their key, sir?"**

"**Got it here somewhere," said Hagrid, and he started emptying his pockets onto the counter, scattering a handful of moldy dog biscuits over the goblin's book of numbers. The goblin wrinkled his nose.**

**Harry watched the goblin on their right weighing a pile of rubies as big as glowing coals.**

"**Got it," said Hagrid at last, holding up a tiny golden key.**

**The goblin looked at it closely.**

"**That seems to be in order."**

"**An' I've also got a letter here from Professor Dumbledore," said Hagrid importantly, throwing out his chest. "It's about the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen."**

"No!" Many cried around the Hall, while the others groaned.

Harry blinked and Alex looked affronted.

**The goblin read the letter carefully.**

"**Very well," he said, handing it back to Hagrid, "I will have someone take you down to both vaults. Griphook!"**

**Griphook was yet another goblin. Once Hagrid had crammed all the dog biscuits back inside his pockets, he and Harry followed Griphook toward one of the doors leading off the hall.**

"**What's the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen?" Harry asked.**

"See? They're getting curious!" cried Ginny.

"**Can't tell yeh that," said Hagrid mysteriously. "Very secret. Hogwarts business. Dumbledore's trusted me. More'n my job's worth ter tell yeh that."**

**Griphook held the door open for them. The twins, who had expected more marble, was surprised. They were in a narrow stone passageway lit with flaming torches. It sloped steeply downward and there were little railway tracks on the floor. Griphook whistled and a small cart came hurtling up the tracks toward them. They climbed in — Hagrid with some difficulty — and were off.**

**At first they just hurtled through a maze of twisting passages. Harry and Alex tried to remember, left, right, right, left, middle fork, right, left, but it was impossible.**

"I couldn't even remember that far." Ron shook his head.

**The rattling cart seemed to know its own way, because Griphook wasn't steering.**

**Harry's eyes stung as the cold air rushed past them, but he kept them wide open. Once, he thought he saw a burst of fire at the end of a passage and he and Alex twisted around to see if it was a dragon, but too late — they plunged even deeper, passing an underground lake where huge stalactites and stalagmites grew from the ceiling and floor.**

"**I never know," Alex called to Hagrid over the noise of the cart, "what's the difference between a stalagmite and a stalactite?"**

"**Stalagmite's got an 'm' in it," said Hagrid.**

"Fair explanation." snickered a Ravenclaw.

"**An' don' ask me questions just now, I think I'm gonna be sick."**

"Hagrid, don't you dare vomit on them!" McGonagall scolded.

**He did look very green, and when the cart stopped at last beside a small door in the passage wall, Hagrid got out and had to lean against the wall to stop his knees from trembling.**

**Griphook unlocked the door. A lot of green smoke came billowing out, and as it cleared, the twins gasped. Inside were mounds of gold coins. Columns of silver. Heaps of little bronze Knuts.**

The twins ignored the looks they received from majority of the hall.

"**All yours," smiled Hagrid.**

**All Harry's — it was incredible. The Dursleys couldn't have known about this or they'd have had it from him faster than blinking.**

There was a lot of hissing and and growling at the mention of the Dursleys.

**How often had they complained how much the twins cost them to keep?**

**And all the time there had been a small fortune belonging to him, buried deep under London.**

"Small?" some first year Hufflepuff exclaimed incredulously.

**Hagrid helped the twins pile some of it into a bag.**

"**The gold ones are Galleons," he explained. "Seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle, it's easy enough. Right, that should be enough fer a couple o' terms, we'll keep the rest safe for yeh."**

**He turned to Griphook. "Vault seven hundred and thirteen now, please, and can we go more slowly?"**

"**One speed only," said Griphook.**

**They were going even deeper now and gathering speed. The air became colder and colder as they hurtled round tight corners. They went rattling over an underground ravine, and Harry leaned over the side to try to see what was down at the dark bottom, but Alex roughly pulled him back by his arm and whacked the back of his head.**

**"Do you have a bloody death wish?" she hissed.**

There where snickers around the Hall, and many Slytherins shook their heads at their temperamental friend.

**Vault seven hundred and thirteen had no keyhole.**

"A high security vault?" said Lee.

"**Stand back," said Griphook importantly. He stroked the door gently with one of his long fingers and it simply melted away.**

"**If anyone but a Gringotts goblin tried that, they'd be sucked through the door and trapped in there," said Griphook.**

"**How often do you check to see if anyone's inside?" Harry asked.**

"**About once every ten years," said Griphook with a rather nasty grin.**

"Really?" the Weasley twins drawled with evil smirks.

**"Can we lock the Dursleys in the vault then?" Alex whispered to Harry, who grinned but shook his head.**

Many Slytherins chuckled, a few raised their eyebrows, and the Gryffindors laughed as the Weasley twins whooped.

"I still don't see why you won't let me lock them in the vault." Alex snickered from her place in Theo's lap.

**Something really extraordinary had to be inside this top security vault, the twins were sure, and they leaned forward eagerly, expecting to see fabulous jewels at the very least — but at first they thought it was empty. Then he noticed a grubby little package wrapped up in brown paper lying on the floor.**

**Hagrid picked it up and tucked it deep inside his coat. Harry longed to know what it was, but knew better than to ask.**

"So you can actually keep your mouth shut then, Potter?" sneered Malfoy.

Harry glared at him. "_You_ better keep your mouth shut Malfoy-"

"-before we _painfully_ shut it for you." Alex finished.

Malfoy flinched at the twins' combined glares.

"**Come on, back in this infernal cart, and don't talk to me on the way back, it's best if I keep me mouth shut," said Hagrid.**

**One wild cart ride later they stood blinking in the sunlight outside Gringotts. Harry didn't know where to run first now that he had a bag full of money. He didn't have to know how many Galleons there were to a pound to know that he was holding more money than he and Alex had in their whole lives— more money than even Dudley had ever had.**

"**Might as well get yer uniform," said Hagrid, nodding toward Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. "Listen, would yeh mind if I slipped off fer a pick-me-up in the Leaky Cauldron? I hate them Gringotts carts." He did still look a bit sick, so Harry and Alex entered Madam Malkin's shop alone, feeling nervous.**

**Madam Malkin was a squat, smiling witch dressed all in mauve.**

"**Hogwarts, dear?" she said, when Harry started to speak. "Got the lot here — another young man being fitted up just now, in fact."**

Malfoy's eyes widened. This was not going to be good for him.

**In the back of the shop, a boy with a pale, pointed face**

Those who had worked out from the description who Harry and Alex had met were laughing quietly in their seats.

**was standing on a footstool while a second witch pinned up his long black robes. Madam Malkin stood Harry on a stool next to him slipped a long robe over his head, and began to pin it to the right length.**

"**Hello," said the boy, "Hogwarts, too?"**

"**Yes," said Harry.**

"**My father's next door buying my books and mother's up the street looking at wands," said the boy.**

"How does that work? The wand chooses the owner." Cho pointed out.

**He had a bored, drawling voice.**

"I do _not!_" cried Malfoy.

"Yes you do." said the twins.

"**Then I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don't see why first years can't have their own. I think I'll bully father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow."**

**The twins were strongly reminded of Dudley.**

"Never compare me with that filthy muggle!" snarled Malfoy.

"**Have **_**you **_**got your own broom?" the boy went on.**

"**No," said Alex.**

"**Play Quidditch at all?"**

"**No," Harry said again, wondering what on earth Quidditch could be.**

The Quidditch fans looked scandalized.

"If your father were here, he'd be rolling on his grave." said McGonagall.

"If Ollie were here-"

"-he'd have a heart attack." Fred and George snickered.

"_**I **_**do — Father says it's a crime if I'm not picked to play for my house, and I must say, I agree. Know what house you'll be in yet?"**

"Oh, shut up," Dean groaned.

"**No," the twins chorused, feeling more stupid by the minute.**

"**Well, no one really knows until they get there, do they, but I know I'll be in Slytherin, all our family have been — imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"**

Most of the Hall growled in anger as they remembered Cedric.

Snape froze. James Potter had said the exact thing about Slytherins on the first train ride to Hogwarts.

"**Mmm," said Harry, wishing he could say something a bit more interesting.**

"**I say, look at that man!" said the boy suddenly, nodding toward the front window. Hagrid was standing there, grinning at Harry and Alex and pointing at two large ice creams to show he couldn't come in.**

"That's nice of him." Luna smiled.

"**That's Hagrid," said Harry, pleased to know something the boy didn't. "He works at Hogwarts."**

"**Oh," said the boy, "I've heard of him. He's a sort of servant, isn't he?"**

"He is not!" Cho snarled.

"**He's the gamekeeper," said Alex. She was liking the boy less and less every second.**

"**Yes, exactly. I heard he's a sort of **_**savage**_

"He is not!" Majority of the Hall chorused in anger. Hagrid looked touched.

— **lives in a hut on the school grounds and every now and then he gets drunk, tries to do magic, and ends up setting fire to his bed."**

People were now glaring at Malfoy, who was trying to hide behind Crabbe and Goyle.

"**We think he's brilliant," said Harry coldly. Alex stood by his side, clenching and uncleching her fists while mentally counting to ten.**

"Why?" asked Neville.

"It actually helps a person calm down." Alex shrugged.

Ron smirked, "Unless you're dealing with Malfoy."

"_**Do **_**you?" said the boy, with a slight sneer. "Why is he with you? Where are your parents?"**

"**They're dead," said Harry shortly. He didn't feel much like going into the matter with this boy.**

"No one would." George shook his head.

"**Oh, sorry," said the other, not sounding sorry at all.**

"Malfoy!" Snape barked, which surprised everyone in the Hall.

Alex jumped slightly in Theo's lap, and Theo flushed, earning a smirk from Blaise.

"**But they were **_**our **_**kind, weren't they?"**

The muggleborns growled.

"**They were a witch and wizard, if that's what you mean." Alex said icily.**

"**I really don't think they should let the other sort in, do you? They're just not the same, they've never been brought up to know our ways.**

"Horrible little twat!" snarled Katie.

**Some of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter, imagine. I think they should keep it in the old wizarding families. What's your surname, anyway?"**

"It doesn't matter!" Hermione screeched.

**But before either Harry or Alex could answer, Madam Malkin said, "That's you done, my dears," and the twins, not sorry for an excuse to stop talking to the boy, hopped down from the footstools.**

"**Well, I'll see you at Hogwarts, I suppose," said the drawling boy.**

**"I hope not." Alex snarled under her breath. "Horrible, ferret-faced git."**

Those who had seen the encounter between "Moody" and Malfoy in fourth year laughed.

**The twins were rather quiet as they ate the ice cream Hagrid had bought them (chocolate and raspberry with chopped nuts for Harry, vanilla and strawberry with sprinkles for Alex).**

"**What's up?" said Hagrid.**

"**Nothing," Harry lied.**

"You two are awful liars." Fred and George laughed. Upon hearing this, the Minister looked straight at them.

**They stopped to buy parchment and quills. Harry cheered up a bit when he found a bottle of ink that changed color as you wrote.**

**When they had left the shop, Alex said, "Hagrid, what's Quidditch?"**

"**Blimey, Harry, I keep forgettin' how little yeh know — not knowin' about Quidditch!"**

"Again, James would be rolling in his grave." McGonagall commented offhandedly. Snape snorted.

"**Don't make us feel worse," said Harry. He told Hagrid about the pale boy in Madam Malkin's.**

"— **and he said people from Muggle families shouldn't even be allowed in —"**

"Git."

"**Yer not **_**from **_**a Muggle family. If he'd known who yeh **_**were **_**— he's grown up knowin' yer names if his parents are wizardin' folk. You saw what everyone in the Leaky Cauldron was like when they saw yeh.**

"Don't remind us." Harry groaned.

**Anyway, what does he know about it, some o' the best I ever saw were the only ones with magic in 'em in a long line o' Muggles — look at yer mum! Look what she had fer a sister!"**

"A horse?" Alex suggested sarcastically.

Cue snickers.

"**So what **_**is **_**Quidditch?"**

"**It's our sport. Wizard sport. It's like — like soccer in the Muggle world — everyone follows Quidditch — played up in the air on broomsticks and there's four balls — sorta hard ter explain the rules."**

"No it isn't!" Many Quidditch players protested.

"**And what are Slytherin and Hufflepuff?"**

"**School houses. There's four. Everyone says Hufflepuff are a lot o' duffers, but —"**

"**I bet I'm in Hufflepuff," said Alex gloomily.**

"**Better Hufflepuff than Slytherin," said Hagrid darkly.**

"Sorry Alex." Hagrid said sheepishly, and Alex waved off the apology.

"No offense taken."

"**There's not a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin.**

"Not true. Alex is in Slytherin." Harry pointed out.

Alex nodded. "Not _all_ Slytherins are bad. Some are just plain gits." earning an _"OI!"_ from a few of her housemates.

**You-Know-Who was one."**

"**Vol-, sorry —You-Know-Who was at Hogwarts?"**

"**Years an' years ago," said Hagrid.**

**They bought the twins' school books in a shop called Flourish and Blotts where the shelves were stacked to the ceiling with books as large as paving stones bound in leather; books the size of postage stamps in covers of silk; books full of peculiar symbols and a few books with nothing in them at all. Even Dudley, who never read anything, would have been wild to get his hands on some of these. Hagrid almost had to drag Harry away from **_**Curses and Countercurses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue-Tying and Much, Much More) **_**by Professor Vindictus Viridian.**

"Why?"

"**I was trying to find out how to curse Dudley."**

The Weasley twins high fived Harry, wearing proud expressions. Alex giggled.

"**I'm not sayin' that's not a good idea, but yer not ter use magic in the Muggle world except in very special circumstances," said Hagrid.**

"Like dementor attacks?" Harry said loudly with a pointed look at Fudge.

"**An' anyway, yeh couldn' work any of them curses yet, yeh'll need a lot more study before yeh get ter that level."**

**Alex on the other hand, wasn't listening.**

"What's new?"

"_OW!_ Alex!" Blaise whined.

**She already had a few ideas going through her mind as she continued to read 101 Best Wizarding Pranks by Vindictus Viridian.**

"What happened to 'I'm not a prankster'?" said Hermione with a grin.

Fred and George smiled widely. "What happened indeed?"

Alex snorted. "Daphne and Blaise happened."

**Hagrid wouldn't let the twins buy a solid gold cauldron, either ("It says pewter on yer list"), but they got a nice set of scales for weighing potion ingredients and a collapsible brass telescope. Then they visited the Apothecary, which was fascinating enough to make up for its horrible smell, a mixture of bad eggs and rotted cabbages. Barrels of slimy stuff stood on the floor; jars of herbs, dried roots, and bright powders lined the walls; bundles of feathers, strings of fangs, and snarled claws hung from the ceiling.**

"That was before I met the Professor." Harry said pointedly, earning a book thrown his way by Alex, which he easily caught.

**While Hagrid asked the man behind the counter for a supply of some basic potion ingredients for Harry, Harry himself examined silver unicorn horns at twenty-one Galleons each and minuscule, glittery-black beetle eyes (five Knuts a scoop).**

**Outside the Apothecary, Hagrid checked the twins' list again.**

"**Just yer wands left — A yeah, an' I still haven't got yeh two a birthday present."**

**Alex was quick to protest, feeling herself go red.**

"Awww, the sight itself is adorable." Theo teased, and Alex glared at him.

"I wouldn't if I were you. I'm at an advantage to where I'm sitting right now."

Theo flushed again, _She wouldn't..._

"**You don't have to —"**

"**I know I don't have to. Tell yeh what, I'll get yer animal. Not a toad, toads went outta fashion years ago, yeh'd be laughed at**

"Evil toad." muttered Neville.

— **an' I don' like cats, they make me sneeze. I'll get yer an owl. All the kids want owls, they're dead useful, carry yer mail an' everythin'."**

**Twenty minutes later, they left Eeylops Owl Emporium, which had been dark and full of rustling and flickering, jewel-bright eyes. Harry now carried a large cage that held a beautiful snowy owl, fast asleep with her head under her wing. While Alex had an elegant black owl that kept glancing at her through the bars of it's cage with curious eyes.**

"So that's how you got Hedwig and Midnight..." Alicia trailed off at the thought of the two owls.

**They couldn't stop stammering their thanks, sounding just like Professor Quirrell.**

The twins grimaced.

"**Don' mention it," said Hagrid gruffly. "Don' expect you've had a lotta presents from them Dursleys.**

There was a lot of cursing, growling, hissing in the Hall.

**Just Ollivanders left now — only place fer wands, Ollivanders, and yeh gotta have the best wand."**

**A magic wand… this was what Harry and Alex had been really looking forward to.**

"It's what everyone looks forward to" Professor Vector smiled.

**The last shop was narrow and shabby. Peeling gold letters over the door read Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. A single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window.**

**A tinkling bell rang somewhere in the depths of the shop as they stepped inside. It was a tiny place, empty except for a single, spindly chair that Hagrid sat on to wait. Harry felt strangely as though he had entered a very strict library; he swallowed a lot of new questions that had just occurred to him and looked instead at the thousands of narrow boxes piled neatly right up to the ceiling. For some reason, the back of his neck prickled. Alex visibly shivered at the thick atmosphere.**

Dumbledore sat forward with interest.

**The very dust and silence in here seemed to tingle with some secret magic.**

Many of the teachers shared a look.

"**Good afternoon," said a soft voice. Harry jumped, and Alex automatically gripped her brother's arm. Hagrid must have jumped, too, because there was a loud crunching noise and he got quickly off the spindly chair.**

Many people laughed at this.

**An old man was standing before them, his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop.**

"**Hello," said Harry awkwardly.**

"**Ah yes," said the man. "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Harry and Alexis Potter." It wasn't a question. "You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work."**

The teachers smiled sadly, especially Flitwick.

**Mr. Ollivander moved closer to Harry. Harry wished he would blink. Those silvery eyes were a bit creepy.**

"**Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration.**

McGonagall looked down.

**Well, I say your father favored it — it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course."**

**Mr. Ollivander had come so close that he and Harry were almost nose to nose. Harry could see himself reflected in those misty eyes.**

"**And that's where…"**

**Mr. Ollivander touched the lightning scar on the twins' foreheads with a long, white finger.**

People shuddered.

"**I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did it," he said softly. "Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands… well, if I'd known what that wand was going out into the world to do…"**

Dumbledore sighed.

**He shook his head and then, to the twins' relief, spotted Hagrid.**

"**Rubeus! Rubeus Hagrid! How nice to see you again… Oak, sixteen inches, rather bendy, wasn't it?"**

"**It was, sir, yes," said Hagrid.**

"**Good wand, that one. But I suppose they snapped it in half when you got expelled?" said Mr. Ollivander, suddenly stern.**

"**Er — yes, they did, yes," said Hagrid, shuffling his feet. "I've still got the pieces, though," he added brightly.**

"**But you don't **_**use **_**them?" said Mr. Ollivander sharply.**

"**Oh, no, sir," said Hagrid quickly. Harry noticed he gripped his pink umbrella very tightly as he spoke.**

The Weasley twins smirked.

"Oh of course," said Fred.

"He doesn't use them, sure." added George.

"**Hmmm," said Mr. Ollivander, giving Hagrid a piercing look. "Well, now — Mr. Potter. Let me see." He pulled a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. "Which is your wand arm?"**

"**Er — well, I'm right-handed," said Harry.**

"**Hold out your arm. That's it." He measured Harry from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round his head. As he measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr. Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand."**

Harry, Ron and Alex smirked as they remembered the incident in the chamber with Lockhart.

**Harry suddenly realized that the tape measure, which was measuring between his nostrils, was doing this on its own. Mr. Ollivander was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes.**

"**That will do," he said, and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor. "Right then, Mr. Potter. Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. just take it and give it a wave."**

**Harry took the wand and (feeling foolish) waved it around a bit, but Mr. Ollivander snatched it out of his hand almost at once.**

"But you didn't even try it yet." said Colin.

"**Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy. Try —"**

**Harry tried — but he had hardly raised the wand when it, too, was snatched back by Mr. Ollivander.**

"**No, no — here, ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy. Go on, go on, try it out."**

**Harry tried. And tried. He had no idea what Mr. Ollivander was waiting for. The pile of tried wands was mounting higher and higher on the spindly chair, but the more wands Mr. Ollivander pulled from the shelves, the happier he seemed to become.**

"How many was that exactly?" asked Ginny.

Harry shrugged, "I lost count after fifteen."

"**Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere — I wonder, now — yes, why not — unusual combination — holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."**

**Harry took the wand. He felt a sudden warmth in his fingers. He raised the wand above his head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls.**

The Weasley twins whooped.

**Now it was Alex's turn. She was rather relieved that she didn't have to try as many wands as Harry did, though.**

"That's still not fair." Harry huffed.

**"Yes - well - ebony and phoenix feather, thirteen inches, rigid."**

"Wow," Hannah shook her head, "Rigid wands are always difficult to handle."

**Warmth spread throughout her body, and white and green sparks shot from the end.**

"Is it me, or are the sparks a tad bit coincidental?"said Daphne, and everyone fell silent.

**Hagrid whooped and clapped and Mr. Ollivander cried, "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well… how curious… how very curious…"**

_Oh no…_ Harry thought the same time Alex muttered profanities under her breath.

**He put Alex's wand back into its box and wrapped it in brown paper, still muttering, "Curious… curious…"**

"**Sorry," said Harry, "but **_**what's **_**curious?"**

Harry paled and Alex gulped.

**Mr. Ollivander fixed Harry with his pale stare.**

"**I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every single wand.**

"Creepy."

**It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather — just two others. One resides in your sister's wand. It is very curious indeed that you two should be destined for this wands when their brother — why, their brother gave you those scars."**

The Hall was silent. Even the Slytherins had nothing to say.

"WHAT?" Ginny shrieked.

"The _twins_ to You-Know-Who's wand." Zacharias sneered. "Wouldn't be surprised if you two turned to the dark side. I mean, Alex is already in Slytherin. Who's to say she won't be the next Dark Lady."

"Mr. Smith!" Professor Sprout admonished.

"_We_ never killed anyone, unlike _him._" Harry snarled.

"Besides," Alex sneered. "If we turn evil, you'll be the first to know."

Both looked so snake-like at the moment, that it frightened most of the Hall. The twins were scary when they were angry, but this was a new level.

Ginny hugged Harry tightly, while Theo ran his fingers through Alex's hair to calm her.

Professor Sprout cleared her throat, and continued reading.

**Both swallowed.**

"**Yes, thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember… I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter… After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things — terrible, yes, but great."**

**Harry shivered. He wasn't sure he liked Mr. Ollivander too much.**

**He and Alex paid fourteen gold Galleons for their wands, and Mr. Ollivander bowed them from his shop.**

**The late afternoon sun hung low in the sky as Harry, Alex and Hagrid made their way back down Diagon Alley, back through the wall, back through the Leaky Cauldron, now empty. Neither Harry nor Alex spoke at all as they walked down the road; they didn't even notice how much people were gawking at them on the Underground, laden as they were with all their funny-shaped packages, with the owls asleep in their cages on either twins' lap. Up another escalator, out into Paddington station; they only realized where they were when Hagrid tapped him on the shoulder.**

"**Got time fer a bite to eat before yer train leaves," he said.**

**He bought Harry and Alex a hamburger and they sat down on plastic seats to eat them. Harry kept looking around. Everything looked so strange, somehow. Alex merely stared at the table, thinking.**

"**You all right? Yer very quiet," said Hagrid.**

**Harry and Alex weren't sure they could explain. They'd just had the best birthday of their lives — and yet — they chewed their hamburgers, trying to find the words.**

"**Everyone thinks we're special," Alex said at last. "All those people in the Leaky Cauldron, Professor Quirrell, Mr. Ollivander… but we don't know anything about magic at all. How can they expect great things?**

Snape blinked for a moment, but remembered it was Alex speaking, not Harry. So he kept his 'like father like son' belief intact.

**We're famous and we can't even remember what we're famous for. We don't know what happened when Vol-, sorry — I mean, the night our parents died."**

**Hagrid leaned across the table. Behind the wild beard and eyebrows he wore a very kind smile.**

"**Don' you worry, Alex. You'll learn fast enough. Everyone starts at the beginning at Hogwarts, you'll be just fine. Just be yerselves. I know it's hard. Yeh've been singled out, an' that's always hard.**

"No really?" Harry gasped in sarcasm.

**But yeh'll have a great time at Hogwarts — I did — still do, 'smatter of fact."**

**Hagrid helped the twins on to the train that would take them back to the Dursleys, then handed them an envelope.**

"**Yer tickets fer Hogwarts, " he said. "First o' September — King's Cross — it's all on yer tickets. Any problems with the Dursleys, send me a letter with yer owl, she'll know where to find me… . See yeh soon, Harry, Alex."**

"Wait, you didn't tell them how to get on the platform!" Hermione cried.

**The train pulled out of the station. The twins wanted to watch Hagrid until he was out of sight; they rose in their seats and pressed their noses against the window, but they blinked and Hagrid had gone.**

"That's the end of the chapter." Professor Sprout announced.

"Who shall read next?" asked Dumbledore and Hermione raised her hand.

"I will, sir."

* * *

**Hope you guys liked this chapter and please review!**

**~Cassandra**


	6. The Journey to Platform 9 and 3 Quarters

**Here's the fifth chapter for you lot, and here I shall add new characters to the plot. Who doesn't love a good rivalry, yeah? Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter; it all belongs to J.K Rowling and Warner Brothers Inc. However, I do own Alex.

**Pairings:** All are canon with the exception of my Theo/OC pairing.

* * *

Just then, the Great Hall doors opened, and two guys strode in.

"_OLLIE!_" screamed Fred and George as they tackled one of the guys in a hug. It was Oliver Wood, their former Quiddtch captain, and his rival, Marcus Flint.

Oliver laughed and approached his old team mates, who welcomed him with hugs.

Umbridge cleared her throat, and Oliver and Marcus took a seat with their respective former houses.

"Good to see you again, Flint." Alex smirked at her former Quidditch captain.

Marcus chuckled. "Hello Potter. Care to tell me what I've missed?"

Daphne, Blaise and Astoria began telling him everything (Malfoy pitching in from time to time). By the time they finished, Marcus looked ready to kill.

"How can they do that?" he growled.

At the Gryffindor's side, they were filling Oliver in on the same thing.

There was an uproar from the two, and it took some time for McGonagall to hush them up.

"Proceed, Miss Granger." Dumbledore nodded to Hermione for her to read.

**"The Journey From Platform Nine and Three-Quarters"** Hermione read.

"The first time we met the Weasleys." Harry and Alex smiled.

**The twins' last month with the Dursleys wasn't fun.**

"No kidding."

**True, Dudley was now so scared of them he wouldn't stay in the same room, while Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon didn't shut them in their cupboard, force them to do anything, or shout at them-in fact, they didn't speak to the twins at all.**

"Ah, pure bliss." Alex sighed.

**Half terrified,** **half furious, they acted as though any chair with either twin in it were empty. Although this was an improvement in many ways, it did become a bit depressing after a while.**

"You actually found it depressing?" Blaise raised an eyebrow. "All they did was mock you, insult you or abuse you."

"True." Harry answered. "But they are still family."

Many were touched by this.

**The twins kept to their room, with each other and their new owls for company. Alex named her owl Mignight, as the phrase 'black as night' suddenly popped into her mind,**

"Not very creative, but it's suitable." Alex shrugged.

**while Harry had decided to call his owl Hedwig, a name he had found in **_**A History**_ _**of Magic**_**. His school books were very interesting.**

"Nooo!" The Weasley twins cried. "We're losing you to the dark side!"

**The lay on Harry's bed reading late into the night, Hedwig and Midnight swooping in and out of the open window as they pleased. It was lucky that Aunt Petunia didn't come in to vacuum anymore, because Hedwig kept bringing back dead mice.**

"Ew..." Lavender and Parvarti scrunched their noses in disgust.

**Every night before they went to sleep, either Alex or Harry ticked off another day on the piece of paper they had pinned to the wall, counting down to September the first. On the last day of August Alex thought she'd better speak to their aunt and uncle about getting to King's Cross station the next day,**

"Why'd you do it so late?" asked Theo.

"So they won't have time to change their minds." Alex replied, and Theo nodded.

**so she went down to the living room - Harry in tow - where they were watching a quiz show on television. She cleared her throat to let them know they were there, and Dudley screamed and ran from the room.**

There was an odd silence...

...before everyone burst into peals of laughter.

"**Er-Uncle Vernon?"**

**Uncle Vernon grunted to show he was listening.**

"**Er-we need to be at King's Cross tomorrow to-to go to Hogwarts."**

**Uncle Vernon grunted again.**

"He speaks troll?" piped Justin Finch-Fletchley. A few people who heard him laughed.

"**Would it be all right if you gave us a lift?"**

**Grunt.**

**The twins supposed that meant yes.**

"**Thank you."**

"Why on earth were you still being polite?" said Malfoy incredulously.

**They about to go back upstairs when Uncle Vernon actually spoke.**

"Aww, I thought things were getting peaceful." Ginny groaned.

"Gin, when you're around the Potters, nothing is ever peaceful." Ron patted her shoulder.

"_OI!_"

"**Funny way to get to a wizards' school, the train. Magic carpets all got punctures, have they?"**

"That's illegal." Fudge nodded.

**Harry and Alex didn't say anything.**

"**Where is this school, anyway?"**

"Scotland"

"**I don't know," said Harry, realizing this for the first time.**

**He pulled the ticket Hagrid had given him out of his pocket.**

"**We just take the train from platform nine and three-quarters at eleven o'clock," he read. Their aunt and uncle stared.**

"**Platform what?"**

"Platform nine and three quarters-"

"Otherwise knows as platform hard-wall." said the Potter twins. Harry, Alex and Ron flinched at this.

"**Nine and three-quarters."**

"**Don't talk rubbish," said Uncle Vernon. "There is no platform nine and three-quarters."**

"Yes there is." Snape sneered. "Petunia has been there."

"Professor? Did you know our mum when you went to Hogwarts?" Alex asked but received no response.

"**It's on our tickets."**

"**Barking,"**

"I bet Padfoot takes offense to that." said Harry. The Weasley twins perked up upon hearing the name.

**said Uncle Vernon, "howling mad,**

"I bet Moony takes offense to that." Alex nodded.

"You know the Marauders?" the Weasley twins chorused, and many of the teachers groaned.

"Maybe." the Potters smirked.

"Who are the Marauders?" asked Daphne.

Alex smiled secretively. "Third year."

**the lot of them. You'll see. You just wait. All right, we'll take you to King's Cross. We're going up to London tomorrow anyway, or I wouldn't bother."**

"**Why are you going to London?" Harry asked, trying to keep things friendly.**

"Friendly?" Pansy raised an eyebrow and sneered.

"I don't remember saying that." Harry shook his head.

**Alex had the urge to hit her brother upside the head.**

"Lily used to do that to James." Flitwick said.

"**Taking Dudley to hospital," growled Uncle Vernon. "Got to have that ruddy tail removed before he goes to Smeltings."**

"Damn, he looked better with the tail." said Fred mockingly.

**Harry woke at five o'clock the next morning and was too excited and nervous to go back to sleep. So excited in fact, that he woke up Alex as he got up and pulled on his jeans because he didn't want to walk into the station in his wizard's robes-he'd change on the train. Alex rolled her eyes, but got up to follow her brother's actions.**

**They checked their Hogwarts lists yet again to make sure they had everything they needed, saw that Hedwig and Midnight were shut safely in their cages, and then paced the room, waiting for the Dursleys to get up. Two hours later,**

"We were waiting for two hours?"

**The twins' huge, heavy trunks had been loaded into the Dursleys' car, Aunt Petunia had talked Dudley into sitting next to Harry,**

"More like bribed him."

**and they had set off.**

**They reached King's Cross at half past ten. Uncle Vernon dumped Harry and Alex's trunk onto a cart and wheeled it into the station for them.**

**The twins thought this was strangely kind until Uncle Vernon stopped dead, facing the platforms with a nasty grin on his face.**

"That's not good." Oliver said.

"**Well, there you are, boy, girl. Platform nine-platform ten. Your platform should be somewhere in the middle, but they don't seem to have built it yet, do they?"**

**He was quite right, of course.**

"Not." said Harry.

"What do you want, Potter?" Theo mockingly called from Slytherin table. People were caught between laughing, or being shocked at the fact that a Slytherin just made a joke.

Alex rolled her eyes.

**There was a big plastic number nine over one platform and a big plastic number ten over the one next to it, and in the middle, nothing at all.**

"**Have a good term," said Uncle Vernon with an even nastier smile. He left without another word. Harry and Alex turned and saw the Dursleys drive away.**

Snape sneered.

**All three of them were laughing.**

"Gits"

**Harry's mouth went rather dry. What on earth was they going to do? They was starting to attract a lot of funny looks, because of Hedwig and Midnight. He'd have to ask someone.**

**He stopped a passing guard, but didn't dare mention platform nine and three-quarters.**

**The guard had never heard of Hogwarts and when neither twin couldn't even tell him what part of the country it was in,** **he started to get annoyed, as though Harry and Alex were being stupid on purpose.**

Alex snorted. "Oh please."

**Getting desperate, Alex asked the guard for the train that left at eleven o'clock, but the guard said there wasn't one. In the end the guard strode away, muttering about time wasters.**

**The twins were now trying hard not to panic. According to the large clock over the arrivals board, they had ten minutes left to get on the train to Hogwarts and they had no idea how to do it; they was stranded in the middle of a station with a trunk they could hardly lift, a pocket full of wizard money, and large owls.**

"Not good."

**Hagrid must have forgotten to tell him something you had to do, like tapping the third brick on the left to get into Diagon Alley. Both wondered if they should get out their wands and start tapping the ticket inspector's stand between platforms nine and ten.**

"Wow, good thing we didn't. That would have been a disaster."

**At that moment a group of people passed just behind him and he caught a few words of what they were saying.**

"**-packed with Muggles, of course-"**

"And enter the Weasleys!" Harry called.

**Harry and Alex swung around. The speaker was a plump woman** **who was talking to four boys, all with flaming red hair.**

Cheers erupted.

**Each of them was pushing a trunk like Harry and Alex's in front of them-and they had an **_**owl.**_

**Heart hammering, the twins pushed their cart after them. They stopped and so did they, just near enough to hear what they were saying.**

"**Now, what's the platform number?" said the boys' mother.**

"Why ask?" asked Madam Pomfrey.

"**Nine and three-quarters!" piped a small girl, also red-headed, who was holding her hand,**

"That was cute." Harry grinned.

"**Mum, can't I go…"**

"**You're not old enough, Ginny, now be quiet. All right, Percy,** **you go first."**

Fred, George, Ron and Ginny all growled. Percy had to flinch at the hostility, and Oliver frowned at his old friend.

**What looked like the oldest boy marched toward platforms nine and ten. Harry watched, careful not to blink in case he missed it-but just as the boy reached the dividing barrier between to the two platforms, a large crowd of tourists came swarming in front of him and by the time the last backpack had cleared away, the boy had vanished.**

"**Fred, you next," the plump woman said.**

"**I'm not Fred, I'm George," said the boy. "Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother? Can't you **_**tell**_** I'm George?"**

**Alex giggled softly. The boy must have heard this, because he turned his head in her direction. Once he spotted her, he smirked and winked, earning another giggle from Alex.**

"Ooooh." most of the Hall chorused.

The Slytherins and a few Gryffindors turned to stare at Theo, who was hugging Alex possessively and glaring at the Weasley twins. Since he couldn't tell which was which, he settled for glaring at them both.

"**Sorry, George, dear."**

"**Only joking, I am Fred,"**

People snorted.

**said the boy, and off he went. His twin called after him to hurry up, and he must have done so, because a second later, he had gone-but how had he done it?**

"Magic"

**Now the third brother was walking briskly toward the barrier-he was almost there-and then, quite suddenly, he wasn't anywhere.**

**There was nothing else for it.**

"**Excuse me," Harry said to the plump woman, Alex trailing behind him.**

"**Hello, dears," she said. "First time at Hogwarts? Ron's new, too."**

**She pointed at the last and youngest of her sons. He was tall, thing, and gangling, with freckles, big hands and feet, and a long nose.**

People snickered at Ron's description.

"We didn't write this!" Harry said quickly.

"**Yes," said Alex. "The thing is-the thing is, we don't know how to -"**

"**How to get onto the platform?" she said kindly, and Harry and Alex nodded.**

"**Not to worry," she said. "All you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Don't stop and don't be scared you'll crash into it,**

Harry, Alex and Ron flinched again.

**that's very important. Best to do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous. Go on, go now before Ron."**

"**Er-okay," said Harry.**

**He pushed his trolley around and stared at the barrier. It looked very solid.**

"It is." Alex grimaced.

**He started to walk toward it. People jostled him on their way to platforms nine and ten. Harry walked more quickly. He was going to smash right into that barrier and then he'd be in trouble**

"That was painful." Ron winced.

**-leaning forward over his cart, he broke into a heavy run-the barrier was coming nearer and nearer-he wouldn't be able to stop-the cart was out of control-he was a foot away-he closed his eyes ready for the crash-**

**It didn't come…he kept on running…**

"Lucky that time." said Harry.

**he opened his eyes. A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said Hogwarts Express, eleven o'clock. Harry looked behind him and saw a wrought-iron archway where the barrier had been, with the words **_**Platform Nine and Three-Quarters**_** on it. He had done it. Alex appeared beside him not to long after, with the same awed look on her face.**

**Smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd, while cats of every colour wound here and there between their hooted to one another in a disgruntled sort of way over the babble and the scraping of heavy trunks. The first few carriages were already packed with students, some hanging out of the window to talk to their families, some fighting over seats.**

**The twins pushed their carts off down the platform in search of an empty seat. He passed a round-faced boy who was saying, "Gran, I've lost my toad again."**

"**Oh, **_**Neville**_**," he heard the old woman sigh.**

Neville mutters.

**A boy with dreadlocks was surrounded by a small crowd.**

"**Give us a look, Lee, go on."**

**The boy lifted the lid of a box in his arms, and the people around him shrieked and yelled as something inside poked out a long, hairy leg.**

Ron shuddered.

**Harry and Alex pressed on through the crowd until tthey found an empty compartment near the end of the train. Harry put Hedwig inside first and then started to shove and heave his trunk toward the train door. He tried to lift it up the stops but could hardly raise one end and twice he dropped it painfully on Alex's foot.**

**"Gah! Bloody hell, Harry!"**

**"Sorry!"**

"That must have hurt a lot." Many winced.

"**Want a hand?" It was one of the red-haired twins they'd followed through the barrier.**

"**Yes, please," Harry panted.**

**"Before he decides to drop it on our feet." Alex winced.**

"**Oy, Fred! C'mere and help!"**

**The other twin approached them, and smiled as he saw Alex, who smiled back.**

"Awww..." Majority of the Hall cooed.

Theo kept glaring, and Marcus was watching them amusedly.

**With the twins' help, Harry and Alex's trunk was at last tucked away in a corner of the compartment.**

"**Thanks," said Harry, pushing his sweaty hair out of his eyes, Alex next to him, panting.**

"**What's that?" said one of the twins suddenly, pointing at Harry's lightning scar.**

"**Blimey," said the other twin. "Are you-?"**

"Dear Merlin..." Harry groaned.

"**He **_**is**_**," said the first twin. "Aren't you?" he added to Harry.**

"**What?" said Harry.**

"_**Harry Potter**_**," chorused the twins.**

"**Oh, him," said Harry.**

People laughed.

"Oh him?" Hermione snorted.

"**I mean, yes, I am."**

**The two boys then turned to Alex.**

**"Then, you must be **_**Alexis Potter**_**!" they chorused.**

**Alex huffed, "It's just Alex, if you don't mind."**

**Then, a voice came floating in through the train's open door.**

"**Fred? George? Are you there"**

"**Coming, Mum."**

**With a last look at Harry, and a wink at Alex, the twins hopped off the train.**

**The twins sat down across each other, next to the window where, half hidden, they could watch the red-haired family on the platform and hear what they were saying.**

The Weasleys look scandalized.

"You heard what we said?" Ginny choked out.

"Yup. We heard everything." said Harry.

**Their mother had just taken out her handkerchief.** **"Ron, you've got something on your nose."**

**The youngest boy tried to jerk out of the way, but she grabbed him and began rubbing the end of his nose.**

"That was embarrassing" Ron shook his head.

"_**Mum**_**-geroff." He wriggled free.**

"**Aaah, has ickle Ronnie got somefink on his nosie?" said one of the twins.**

People laughed.

"**Shut up," said Ron.**

"**Where's Percy?" said their mother.**

"**He's coming now."**

**The oldest boy came striding into sight. He had already changed into his billowing black Hogwarts robes, and the twins noticed a shiny silver badge on his chest with the letter **_**P**_** in it.**

"Which had been polished several hundred times." piped George, and Percy flushed in annoyance.

"**Can't stay long, Mother," he said. "I'm up front, the prefects have got two compartments to themselves -"**

"**Oh, are you a **_**prefect**_**, Percy?" said one of the twins, with an air of great surprise. "You should have said something, we had no idea."**

"**Hang on, I think I remember him saying something about it," said the other twin.**

"**Once-"**

"**Or twice-"**

"**A minute-"**

"**All summer-"**

More laughs.

"**Oh, shut up," said Percy the Prefect.**

"Why didn't we think of that?" cried Fred and George, grins on their faces.

"**How come Percy gets new robes, anyway?" said one of the twins.**

"**Because he's a **_**prefect**_**," said their mother fondly.**

"How does that make him special?" asked Seamus.

"**All right, dear, well, have a good term-send me an owl when you get there."**

**She kissed Percy on the cheek and he left. Then she turned to the twins.**

"This is going to get really confusing." Dean shook his head.

"**Now, you two-this year, you behave yourselves.**

"Fat chance." Angelina snorted.

**If I get one more owl telling me you've-you've blown up a toilet or-"**.

"Never give a prankster ideas." Alex and Harry shook their heads.

"Indeed. Minerva learned that the hard way." said Flitwick, and the transfiguration professor huffed.

"**Blown up a toilet? We've never blown up a toilet."**

"Dear Merlin" McGonagall groaned.

"At least we know where they got the idea now." said Alicia.

"**Great idea though, thanks, Mom."**

"**It's **_**not funny**_**.**

"Yes it is!" Most of the Hall chorused.

**And look after Ron."**

"**Don't worry, ickle Ronniekins is safe with us."**

"**Shut up," said Ron again. He was almost as tall as the twins already and his nose was still pink where his mother had rubbed it.**

"**Hey, Mum, guess what? Guess who we just met on the train?"**

Alex and Harry shared a look.

**Harry and Alex leaned back quickly so they couldn't see them looking.**

"**You know that black-haired boy and girl who was near us in the station? Know who they are?"**

"**Who?"**

"_**Harry and Alexis Potter**_**!"**

**Harry and Alex heard the little girl's voice.**

"**Oh, Mum, can I go on the train and see him, Mum, oh please…."**

**Alex then grinned at Harry, who was turning an interesting shade of red.**

"Anyone else noticed that Ginny only said 'him'?" Hermione grinned.

"**You've already seen him, Ginny, and the poor boy isn't something you goggle at in a zoo. Are they really, Fred? How do you know?"**

"**Asked them. Saw Harry's scar. It's really there-like lightning."**

"**Poor **_**dears**_**-no wonder they were alone, I wondered. They were ever so polite when they asked how to get onto the platform."**

"**Never mind that, do you think they remember what You-Know-Who looks like?"**

"Mr. Weasley!"

"We didn't ask them, Professor!"

**Their mother suddenly became very stern.**

"**I forbid you to ask him, Fred. No, don't you dare. As though he needs reminding of that on his first day at school."**

"**All right, keep your hair on."**

People snickered.

**A whistle sounded.**

"**Hurry up!" their mother said, and the three boys clambered onto the train. They leaned out of the window for her to kiss them good-bye,and their younger sister began to cry.**

"Awww!" Alex and Hermione cooed, a bit mockingly. Ginny glared at them.

"**Don't, Ginny, we'll send you loads of owls."**

"**We'll send you a Hogwarts toilet seat."**

Many laughed at this.

"You know, i never got that." said Ginny.

"We sent it to someone who needed it more." said Fred.

"_**George**_**!"**

"**Only joking, Mum."**

"No they weren't." said Luna.

**The train began to move. Harry and Alex saw the boys' mother waving and their sister, half laughing, half crying, running to keep up with the train until it gathered too much speed, then she fell back and waved.**

**The twins watched the girl and her mother disappear as the train rounded the corner. Houses flashed past the window. They felt a great leap of excitement. They didn't know what they were going to -but it had to be better than what they were leaving behind.**

"I still stand with that statement." said Harry.

**The door to the compartment slid open and the youngest redheaded boy came in.**

"Ron." Alex and Harry grinned.

"**Anyone sitting there?" he asked, pointing at the seat opposite Harry, next to Alex. "Everywhere else is full."**

**Harry shook his head and the boy sat down. He glanced at Harry and then looked quickly out of the window, pretending he hadn't looked.**

**Harry saw he still had a black mark on his nose.**

"Would you quit mentioning that?" cried Ron.

"**Hey, Ron."**

**The twins were back.**

"And hilarity ensues."

"**Listen, we're going down the middle of the train-Lee Jordan's got a giant tarantula down there."**

"What happened to that thing anyway?"

Lee shrugged.

"**Right," mumbled Ron.**

"**Harry, Alex" said the other twin, "did we introduce ourselves? Fred and George Weasley. And this is Ron, our brother. See you later, then."**

"**Bye," said Harry, Alex and Ron. The twins slid the compartment door shut behind them.**

"**Are you really Harry Potter?" Ron blurted out.**

"No, he's Sherlock Holmes." Alex drawled sarcastically, which earned many snickers from the muggleborns and a few half-bloods, and a glare from Harry, much to the confusion of many purebloods.

**Harry nodded.**

**"And you must be Alexis Potter then?" he said to Alex, who nodded.**

**"It's just Alex. Nice to meet you, Ron."**

**But Ron wasn't listening.**

"What's new?" George snorted.

"**Oh-well, I though it might be one of Fred and George's jokes," said Ron. "And have you really got-you know…"**

**He pointed at Harry's forehead.**

"Mr. Weasley!"

**Harry and Alex pulled back their fringes to show the lightning scar on opposite sides of their foreheads. Ron stared.**

"**So that's where You-Know-Who-?"**

"No fair! How come Ron got to ask and we didn't?" George whined.

"**Yes," said Alex, "but we can't remember it."**

"**Nothing?" said Ron eagerly.**

"Ron!" Hermione paused her reading to scold him.

"**Well-we remember a lot of green light, but nothing else."**

"**Wow," said Ron. He sat and stared at the twins for a few moments, then, as though he had suddenly realized what he was doing, he looked quickly out of the window again.**

"way to be discreet." Seamus snickered.

"**Are all your family wizards?" asked Harry, who found Ron just as interesting as Ron found them.**

"**Er-yes, I think so," said Ron. "I think Mum's got a second cousin who's an accountant, but we never talk about him."**

"**So you must know loads of magic already."**

"But it's Ron!" protested Ginny.

**The Weasleys were clearly one of those old wizarding families the pale boy in Diagon Alley had talked about.**

"No they aren't." said Malfoy.

"**I heard you went to live with Muggles," said Ron. "What are they like?"**

"Awful."

"**Horrible-well, not all of them. Our aunt and uncle and cousin are, though." said Harry.**

"Understatement of the century." said Marcus.

**Alex sighed. "Wish we had three wizard brothers."**

"**Five," said Ron. For some reason, he was looking gloomy.**

Percy, Fred and George stared at Ron weirdly.

"**I'm the sixth in our family to go to Hogwarts. You could say I've got a lot to live up to. Bill and Charlie have already left-Bill was Head Boy and Charlie was captain of Quidditch. Now Percy's a prefect. Fred and George mess around a lot, but they still get really good marks and everyone thinks they're really funny. Everyone expects me to do as well as the others, but if I do, it's no big deal, because they did it first.**

"You really feel that way?" Fred frowned.

"Not anymore." Ron argued.

"You have no reason to feel like that Ron. You've done so many great things." said Hermoine, who blushed right after she did.

"Thanks, 'Mione." Ron smiled.

Alex and Ginny shared a 'why won't they admit their feelings yet?' look.

**You never get anything new, either, with five brothers. I've got Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand,**

"That would explain why you constantly failed." nodded McGonagall

**and Percy's old rat."**

**Ron reached inside his jacket and pulled out a fat grey rat, which was asleep.**

"**His name's Scabbers and he's useless,**

Harry, Alex, Ron and Hermione snarled at the mention of the traitorous rat.

**he hardly ever wakes up. Percy got an owl from my dad for being made a prefect, but they couldn't aff-I mean, I got Scabbers instead."**

**Ron's ears went pink. He seemed to think he'd said too much, because he went back to staring out of the window. Harry and Alex didn't think there was anything wrong with not being able to afford an owl. After all, they'd never had any money in their lives until a month ago,and they told Ron so, all about having to wear Dudley's old clothes and never getting proper birthday presents. This seemed to cheer Ron up.**

"…**and until Hagrid told us, we didn't know anything about being a wizard and witch or about our parents or Voldemort-"**

**Ron gasped.**

"Dramatic." said George.

"**What?" said Harry.**

"_**You said You-Know-Who's name**_**!" said Ron, sounding both shocked and impressed. "I'd have thought you, of all people -"**

"it's just a name!" cried the Potter twins.

"**We're not trying to be **_**brave**_** or anything, saying the name," said Harry, "We just never knew you shouldn't. See what I mean? I've got loads to learn… I bet," he added, voicing for the first time something that had been worrying him a lot lately.**

**Alex leaned back in her seat. "I bet we're the worst in the class."**

"On the contrary, Ms. Potter, you and your brother are excellent at Defense Against the Dark Arts." said Dumbledore, earning murmurs of agreement, especially from the DA. Umbridge fumed in her seat.

"**You won't be. There's loads of people who come from Muggle families and they learn quick enough."**

George nodded his head in Hermione's direction. "That's living proof."

**While they had been talking, the train had carried them out of London. Now they were speeding past fields full of cows and sheep. They were quiet for a time, watching the fields and lanes flick past.**

**Around half past twelve there was a great clattering outside in the corridor and a smiling, dimpled woman slid back their door and said, "Anything off the cart, dears?"**

**The twins, who hadn't had any breakfast, leapt to their feet, but Ron's ears went pink again and he muttered that he'd brought sandwiches.**

**Harry and Alex went out into the corridor. They had never had any money for sweets with the Dursleys, and now that they had pockets rattling with gold and silver they ready to buy as many Mars Bars** **as they could carry,**

"Muggle sweet." said Hermione.

**-but the woman didn't have Mars Bars.**

"If it were up to Albus, the trolley would be stocked completely on lemon drops." said McGonagall, and the twins shuddered.

"Oh bloody hell." muttered Alex.

**What she did have were Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans,**

George paled as he remembered the bogie flavored one.

**Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes,**

Ron's stomach grumbled.

**Liquorice Wands,**

"My favorite." Alex smiled.

**and a number of other strange things the twins had never seen. Not wanting to miss anything, they got some of everything**

"How on earth can you eat so many sweets?" ironically, Goyle asked.

**and paid the woman eleven silver Sickles and seven bronze Knuts.**

"I can't believe you spent that much on sweets." mused Ginny.

**Ron stared as Harry and Alex brought it all back in to the compartment and tipped it onto an empty seat.**

"**Hungry, are you?"**

"No, Ron, they're planning to chuck it all out of the window in an attempt to rid the world of sugar highs!"

"**Starving," said Harry, taking a large bite out of a pumpkin pasty.**

**Ron had taken out a lumpy package and unwrapped it. There were four sandwiches inside. He pulled one of them apart and said, "She always forgets I don't like corned beef."**

"She got our sandwiches mixed up." said Fred.

"**Swap you for one of these," said Harry, holding up a pasty. "Go on-"**

"You're mad." said Ron.

"Not really. You're mother is actually an excellent cook." remarked Harry.

"**You don't want this, it's all dry," said Ron. "She hasn't got much time," he added quickly, "you know, with five of us."**

"**Go on, have a pasty," said Alex, who had never had anything to share before or, indeed, anyone to share it with besides Harry. It was a nice feeling, sitting there with Harry and Ron, eating their way through all their pasties, cakes, and candies (the sandwiches lay forgotten).**

"It's a miracle you weren't sick after that." scolded Hermione.

"**What are these?" Harry asked Ron, holding up a pack of Chocolate Frogs. "They're not **_**really**_** frogs, are they?"**

The hall was silent, and most stared at the twins strangely.

**He was starting to feel that nothing would surprise him.**

"**No," said Ron. "But see what the card is. I'm missing Agrippa."**

"I've got three of him." Ginny shrugged and Ron only gaped at her.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he squeaked.

"**What?"**

"**Oh, of course, you wouldn't know-Chocolate Frogs have cards inside them, you know, to collect - famous witches and wizards. I've got about five hundred, but I haven't got Agrippa or Ptolemy."**

"I've got seven Agrippas." Fred grinned and Ron gaped at him.

"Trade you." he said.

"Depends. Who you got?" asked George.

"Alex and Harry." said Ron.

"We're on chocolate frog cards?" Harry raised an eyebrow and Ron nodded.

"You two are famous after all."

"Trade you Agrippa for Alex." called Theo from the Slytherin table, who flushed as soon as he realized what he had just said. Alex blushed as well and turned away to hide it, though Harry and Ron still caught it. Some Slytherins started snickering; Blaise, Daphne, and Astoria were laughing at Theo's face.

**Harry unwrapped his Chocolate Frog and picked up the card. It showed a man's face. He wore half-moon glasses, had a long, crooked nose, and flowing silver hair, beard, and moustache.**

"Dumbledore!" Colin cried.

**Underneath the picture was the name Albus Dumbledore.**

"**So **_**this**_** is Dumbledore!" said Harry.**

"**Don't tell me you'd never heard of Dumbledore!"**

Ginny sent her brother an incredulous look. "Really Ron?"

**said Ron. "Can I have a frog? I might get Agrippa-thanks-"**

**Harry turned over his card and read:**

**ALBUS DUMBLEDORE**

**CURRENTLY HEADMASTER OF HOGWARTS**

**Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times,**

"Very true." Many teachers nodded in agreement.

**Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the Dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel.**

"All this time, on a chocolate frog card." Hermione grumbled.

**Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling**.

**Harry turned the card over and saw, to his astonishment, that Dumbledore's face had disappeared**.

"**He's gone!" Alex gasped.**

"**Well, you can't expect him to hang around all day," said Ron. "He'll be back. No, I've got Morgana again and I've got about six of her…do you want it? You can start collecting."**

**Ron's eyes strayed to the pile of Chocolate Frogs waiting to be unwrapped.**

"**Help yourself," said Alex. "But in, you know, the Muggle world, people just stay put in photos."**

"Weird." said Fred and George.

"**Do they? What, they don't move at all?" Ron sounded amazed. "**_**Weird!**_**"**

Many laughed as the twins exchanged horrified looks.

**Harry and Alex stared as Dumbledore sidled back into the picture on his card and gave them a small smile.**

**Ron was more interested in eating the frogs than looking at the Famous Witches and Wizards cards, while Alex had settled on taking a few bites of the licorice wands,**

"I swear, you have an obsession with those." Hermione paused and shook her head fondly.

Alex shrugged. "What? I love licorice."

**but Harry couldn't keep his eyes off them. Soon he had not only Dumbledore and Morgana, but Hengist of Woodcroft, Alberic Grunnion,Circe, Paracelsus, and Merlin. He finally tore his eyes away from the druidess Cliodna, who was scratching her nose, to open a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans.**

Again, George grimaced.

"**You want to be careful with those," Ron warned Harry. "When they say every flavour, they **_**mean**_** every flavour-you know, you get all the ordinary ones like chocolate and peppermint and marmalade, but then you can get spinach and liver and tripe. (Alex gagged) George reckons he had a bogey-flavoured one once."**

"I did. It tasted awful." the said twin scrunched his nose in disgust.

**Ron picked up a green bean, looked at it carefully, and bit into a corner.**

"**Bleaaargh-see? Sprouts."**

"Eww." said Parvarti.

**They had a good time eating the Every Flavour Beans. Harry got toast, coconut, baked bean, strawberry, curry, grass, coffee, sardine, and was even brave enough to nibble the end off a funny grey one Ron wouldn't touch, which turned out to be pepper.**

"That's lucky mate." said Dean.

**Harry and Ron tried to get Alex to eat one, as she had refused since Ron mentioned the bogie flavored one,**

"Thanks a lot Ron."

Ron chuckled.

**and eventually succeeded. She had gotten cherry, butter, tuna, dirt, and the last one had tasted like spinach though she wasn't sure.**

"How on earth did you get most of the good flavors?" asked Astoria.

**The countryside now flying past the window was becoming wilder. The neat fields had gone. Now there were woods, twisting rivers, and dark green hills.**

**There was a knock on the door of their compartment and the round-faced boy the twins had passed on platform nine and three-quarters came in. He looked tearful.**

"**Sorry," he said, "but have you seen a toad at all?"**

"Neville." many muttered and shook their heads.

"Why didn't you just get rid of that bloody toad?" said Ron, and Hermione whacked him on the head with the book.

"Ronald!"

"I can't!" cried Neville. "He's a bloody escape artist!"

**When they shook their heads, he wailed, "I've lost him! He keeps getting away from me!"**

"**He'll turn up," said Harry.**

"**Yes," said the boy miserably.**

"I was miserable about the fact that he might actually turn up." said Neville disdainfully.

"**Well, if you see him…"**

**He left.**

"**Don't know why he's so bothered," said Ron. "If I'd brought a toad I'd lose it as quick as I could.**

"Trust me, I tried."

**Mind you, I brought Scabbers, so I can't talk."**

**The rat was still snoozing on Ron's lap.**

The quartet sneered again.

"**He might have died and you wouldn't know the difference,"**

"Too bad he didn't." Harry snarled.

**said Ron in disgust. "I tried to turn him yellow yesterday to make him more interesting, but the spell didn't work.**

Fred and George snickered and Ron glared at them.

**I'll show you, look…"**

Now, they burst into fits of laughter.

"I can't believe...you actually..tried it!" Fred gasped.

**He rummaged around in his trunk and pulled out a very battered-looking wand. It was chipped in places and something white was glinting at the end.**

"**Unicorn hair's nearly poking out.**

Some of the Professors tutted disapprovingly.

**Anyway-"**

**He had just raised his wand when the compartment door slid open again. The toadless boy was back, but this time he had a girl with him.**

**She was already wearing her new Hogwarts robes.**

"**Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one," she said. She had a bossy sort of voice, lots of bushy brown hair, and rather large front teeth.**

"Harry! Alex!" Hermione cried.

Harry held his hands up in surrender. "We didn't write this."

Meanwhile Alex snickered, ignoring the glare Hermione sent her way. "You still thought it though."

"Yeah, well we didn't know our thoughts were going to be published in a book for the whole of Hogwarts to read."

"Fair enough." Hermione conceded.

"**We've already told him we haven't seen it," said Ron, but the girl wasn't listening, she was looking at the wand in his hand.**

"**Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it, then."**

**She sat down. Ron looked taken aback.**

"**Er-all right."**

Ginny facepalmed.

**He cleared his throat.**

"_**Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow,**_

_**Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow."**_

This time, many people in the Hall laughed with the Weasley twins.

"That's not a real spell." muttered McGonagall.

**He waved his wand, but nothing happened. Scabbers stayed grey and fast asleep.**

"**Are you sure that's a real spell?"**

"NO!"

**said the girl. "Well, it's not very good, is it?"**

**Alex frowned at this. The girl seemed like a know-it-all in her opinion, and she didn't like the fact that she was also insulting her friend, but she couldn't seem to say anything.**

"Sorry." Alex muttered.

"It's alright. At least now I know why you didn't like me so much at first." Hermione smiled.

**"I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked out for me. Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard-I've learned all our course books by heart, of course,**

"Only you Granger." Malfoy shook his head.

**I just hope it will be enough**

"It was more than enough." said Harry.

**-I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?" She said all this very fast.**

Hermione didn't even pause to take a breath, yet she looked perfecty fine as she said all this in one breath.

**Alex rolled her eyes, while Harry looked at Ron, and was relieved to see by his stunned face that he hadn't learned all the course books by heart either.**

Majority of the Gryffindor table snorted.

"**I'm Ron Weasley," Ron muttered.**

"**Harry Potter," said Harry.**

**"Alex Potter," mumbled Alex.**

"**Are you really?" said Hermione. "I know all about you, of course-I got a few extra books for background reading, and you're in **_**Modern Magical History **_**and **_**The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts **_**and **_**Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century**_**."**

"**Are we?" said the twins; Harry feeling dazed, and Alex was annoyed.**

"**Goodness, didn't you know, I'd have found out everything I could if it was me," said Hermione. "Do either of you know what House you'll be in? I've been asking around, and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best;**

"HECK YEAH!" The Gryffindors cheered.

**I hear Dumbledore himself was in it,**

"What?"

**but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad…**

The Ravenclaws cheered as well.

**Anyway, we'd better go and look for Neville's toad. You three had better change, you know, I expect we'll be there soon."**

**And she left, taking the toadless boy with her.**

"**Whatever House I'm in, I hope she's not in it," said Ron.**

"OW! Ginny, what was that for?"

**He threw his wand back into his trunk. "Stupid spell-George gave it to me, bet he knew it was a dud."**

Luna sighed. "Can't expect less from the twins."

"**What House are your brothers in?" asked Harry.**

"**Gryffindor," said Ron. Gloom seemed to be settling on him again.**

Many people from different houses, Slytherins included, raised an eyebrow.

"**Mum and Dad were in it, too. I don't know what they'll say if I'm not.**

"They wouldn't do anything."

**I don't suppose Ravenclaw **_**would**_** be too bad, but imagine if they put me in Slytherin."**

"Watch it Weasley." warned Theo, while Alex raised an eyebrow.

"N-not that there's anything wrong with it!" Ron stammered at Alex's stare.

"**That's the House Vol-, I mean, You-Know-Who was in?"**

"**Yeah," said Ron. He flopped back into his seat, looking depressed.**

"**You know, I think the ends of Scabbers' whiskers are a bit lighter," said Alex, trying to take Ron's mind off Houses.**

"**So what do your oldest brothers do now that they've left, anyway?"**

**Harry was wondering what a wizard did once he'd finished school.**

"**Charlie's in Romania studying dragons, and Bill's in Africa doing something for Gringotts," said Ron. "Did you hear about Gringotts? It's been all over the **_**Daily Prophet**_**, but I don't suppose you get that with the Muggles-someone tried to rob a high security vault."**

"Oh dear,"

**Harry and Alex stared.**

"**Really? What happened to them?"**

"**Nothing, that's why it's such big news.**

**They haven't been caught. My dad says it must've been a powerful Dark wizard to get round Gringotts, but they don't think they took anything, that's what's odd. **'**Course, everyone gets scared when something like this happens in case You-Know-Who's behind it."**

"Fudge." Harry coughed, and those within hearing range snickered, causing Umbridge to glare at them.

**Harry turned this news over in his mind. He was starting to get a prickle of fear every time You-Know-Who was mentioned. Alex looked at her brother, with the same comprehending expression on her face.**

**He supposed this was all part of entering the magical world, but it had been a lot more comfortable saying "Voldemort" without worrying.**

"**What's your Quidditch team?" Ron asked.**

"For someone who doesn't know Quidditch, you two are brilliant at it." said Marcus.

"**Er-we don't know any," Harry confessed.**

Marcus snorted. "See?"

"WHAT?" Oliver cried despairingly. His best seeker since Charlie Weasley, know nothing about Quidditch? Blasphemy!

"**What!" Ron looked dumbfounded.**

"**Oh, you wait, it's the best game in the world-"**

"You sounded like Wood for a moment Ron." said Katie at Oliver's nod of agreement to Ron's statement.

**And he was off, explaining all about the four balls and the positions of the seven players, describing famous games he'd been to with his brothers and the broomstick he'd like to get if he had the money.**

**He was just talking Harry and Alex through the finer points of the game when the compartment door slid open yet again, but it wasn't Neville the toadless boy, or Hermione Granger this time.**

**Three boys entered, and the twins recognized the middle one at once: it was the pale boy from Madam Malkin's robe shop. He was looking at Harry and Alex with a lot more interest than he'd shown back in Diagon Alley.**

"**Is it true?" he said. "They're saying all down the train that the Potters are in this compartment.**

"Secrets never remain kept in Hogwarts." said Padma.

**So it's you two, is it?"**

"No, it's the chocolate frog that just jumped out the window."

"**Yes," said Alex warily. She was looking at the other boys. Both of them were thickset and looked extremely mean. Standing on either side of the pale boy, they looked like bodyguards.**

Seamus snorted. "They are."

"**Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle," said the pale boy carelessly, noticing where Alex was looking. "And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."**

Hermione paused and grinned, "Bond. James Bond."

The muggleborns and muggle-raised halfbloods erupted in snickers and laughs, Harry and Alex among them. The purebloods looked extremely confused, and Malfoy was annoyed.

**Ron gave a slight cough, which might have been hiding a snigger.**

"Might have?" Ron grinned.

**Draco Malfoy looked at him.**

"**Think my name's funny, do you?**

The trio, along with the Gryffindor Quidditch team shared a look.

**No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford."**

"Git."

"Prat."

"Assh-"

"Mr. Thomas!"

**He turned back to Harry. "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potters. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort.**

Three out of four houses growled, but a few Slytherins had the decency to glare at Malfoy.

**I can help you there."**

"No one asked for your help!"

**He held out his hand to shake Harry's, but Harry didn't take it.**

"**I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks," he said coolly.**

Harry's housemates congratulated him.

"Nice." Fred grinned proudly.

"Only Harry could pull that off." Seamus added.

"Bloody brilliant!" cheered Dean.

**"I think you're sister can answer for herself, Potter." Malfoy said harshly and turned to Alex expectantly, but she only glared.**

**"Last time I checked **_**Malfoy**_**, there's nothing wrong with being a Weasley." she spat. "And if you want to help us in staying away from the 'wrong sort', I suggest you walk away. Right now." she sneered back.**

"Fiesty." Blaise smirked at his best friend.

"Very Slytherin." Daphne nodded approvingly.

"I have to say, you made quite an impression." Malfoy shook his head with a slight smirk.

**Malfoy was taken aback at her words, and Ron was just as shocked. Harry on the other hand knew of his sister's temper and thought it was best to not intervene.**

**Draco Malfoy didn't go red, but a pink tinge appeared in his pale cheeks.**

"**I'd be careful if I were you, Potters," he said slowly. "Unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same way as your parents. They didn't know what was good for them, either. You hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys and that Hagrid, and it'll rub off on you."**

"MISTER MALFOY!" Many of the teachers snarled.

**Harry, Alex and Ron stood up.**

"**Say that again," Ron said, his face as red as his hair.**

"**Oh, you're going to fight us, are you?"**

"Yes!" the three present chorused.

**Malfoy sneered.**

"**Unless you get out now," said Harry, more bravely than he felt, because Crabbe and Goyle were a lot bigger than him or Ron.**

"**But we don't feel like leaving, do we, boys? We've eaten all our food and you still seem to have some."**

**Goyle reached toward the Chocolate Frogs next to Ron**

"Bad idea."

**-Ron leapt forward, but before he'd so much as touched Goyle, Goyle let out a horrible yell.**

**Scabbers the rat** **was hanging off his finger,**

Harry growled. "The only good thing he's ever done."

**sharp little teeth sunk deep into Goyle's knuckle-Crabbe and Malfoy both backed away as Goyle swung Scabbers round and round, howling, and when Scabbers finally flew off and hit the window, all three of them disappeared at once.**

**Perhaps they thought there were more rats lurking among the sweets, or perhaps they'd heard footsteps, because a second later, Hermione Granger had come in.**

"**What **_**has**_** been going on?" she said, looking at the sweets all over the floor and Ron picking up Scabbers by his tail.**

"**I think he's been knocked out," Ron said to Harry. He looked closer at Scabbers. "No-I don't believe it-he's gone back to sleep."**

Plenty chuckled.

**And so he had.**

"**You've met Malfoy before?"**

"Sadly."

"**I've heard of his family," said Ron darkly. "They were some of the first to come back to our side after You-Know-Who disappeared. Said they'd been bewitched.**

Many raised eyebrown here.

**My dad doesn't believe it.**

"That's because you're dad isn't stupid, like other people from the ministry we know." Harry sent a pointed look at Fudge and Umbridge.

**He says Malfoy's father didn't need an excuse to go over to the Dark Side."**

**Alex turned to Hermione.**

**"Can we help you with something?" she asked stiffly.**

"**You'd better hurry up and put your robes on, I've just been up to the front to ask the conductor, and he says we're nearly there. You haven't been fighting, have you?**

"Not yet they haven't"

**You'll be in trouble before we even get there!"**

"I could quite honestly see that happening." said McGonagall.

"And it has already happened." Snape sent them a pointed look, especially a scolding look towards Alex, who grinned sheepishly.

"What?" asked Ron.

Alex grinned wider, "The car."

"**Scabbers has been fighting, not us," said Ron, scowling at her. "Would you mind leaving while we change?"**

"**All right-I only came in here because people outside are behaving very childishly, racing up and down the corridors," said Hermione in a sniffy voice.**

"**And you've got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know?"**

"How many times is that going to be mentioned here?"

**Ron and Alex glared at her as she left.**

"Alex: I understand. But Ron?" Ginny grinned.

**Harry peered out of the window. It was getting dark. He could see mountains and forests under a deep purple sky. The train did seem to be slowing down.**

**Alex went to find a seperate place to change.**

**He and Ron took off their jackets and pulled on their long black robes. Ron's were a bit short for him, you could see his trainers underneath them.**

**Just as Alex returned, a voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."**

**Harry's stomach lurched with nerves, Alex was fidgeting with her black tie, and Ron, he saw, looked pale under his freckles. They crammed their pockets with the last of the sweets and joined the crowd thronging the corridor.**

**The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform.**

**Harry wrapped around his sister as she shivered in the cold night air. Her skirt was most definitely not helping her.**

**Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and Harry heard a familiar voice: "Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Harry, Alex?"**

"That was kind of embarrassing." said Harry.

Alex smiled at Hagrid. "I thought it was sweet Hagrid."

**Hagrid's big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads.**

"**C'mon, follow me-any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"**

**Slipping and stumbling, they followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark on either side of them that Harry thought there must be thick trees there.**

**Nobody spoke much. Neville, the boy who kept losing his toad, sniffed once or twice.**

"Bloody toad."

"**Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here."**

**There was a loud "Oooooh!"**

**The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.**

"**No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore.**

**Harry, Ron and Alex were followed into their boat by Hermione much to Alex's dismay.**

"I'm sorry!"

"Alex," yelled Hermione. "Stop apologizing!"

"Sorry." Alex mumbled.

"Alex..."

"Sor-"

Theo quickly covered Alex's mouth with his hand before Hermione could reprimand her again.

"**Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself.**

"**Right then-FORWARD!"**

**And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead.**

**It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.**

"**Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face.**

**They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbour, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.**

"**Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" said Hagrid, who was checking the boats as people climbed out of them.**

"**Trevor!" cried Neville blissfully, holding out his hands.**

"Blissfully wouldn't be the right term." said Neville.

**Then they clambered up a passageway in the rocks after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle.**

**They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front door.**

"**Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?"**

"Can't believe I didn't lose him after that."

**Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.**

"And that's the end of the chapter" said Hermione. "Who's next?"

"I'll read!" called George. Fred gaped at him.

"George Weasley, prankster extraordinaire, willingly reading a book? The world must be ending!"

"Shut up Fred." said George as the book was summoned into his hands.

* * *

**Hope you guys liked this chapter and please review!**

**~Cassandra**


	7. The Sorting Hat

**Next chapter is up for reading, and more characters coming your way. I hope you all like this chapter. I'm not adding anymore characters until the second book, but I'm still thinking on who else I could put here though.**

**Also, if you guys recognize the description of the Slytherin common room, you can find it in The Chamber of Secrets, Chapter Twelve - The Polyjuice Potion.**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter; it all belongs to J.K Rowling and Warner Brothers Inc. However, I do own Alex.

**Pairings:** All are canon with the exception of my Theo/OC pairing.

* * *

"**The Sorting Hat.**"George read.

But just as he said this, the doors of the Great Hall swung open. Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, Molly and Arthur Weasley, and Sirius Black entered.

At the last one, nearly everybody screamed.

"Run!"

"It's Sirius Black!"

The Ministry officials and some students and teachers had their wands at the ready, but the Potters quickly shielded Sirius from them, brandishing their own wands.

"Don't hurt him!" cried Harry.

"He's innocent!" Alex added.

Many students and teachers were confused by this. The Potters were protecting their parents' murderer?

"Harry, Alex.." Sirius started.

"Nonsense!" said Fudge. "Black's clearly confounded them!"

"OI!" Alex growled. "Don't talk about our godfather that way!"

Many students gasped, while Harry has to suppress a groan. How he wished his sister would think about what she was saying before it came out of her mouth.

"Ms. Potter," Fudge began. "This man may be your godfather, but he's-"

"Innocent!" Alex cut him off. "He was framed!"

"And what do you have to prove his innocence, Ms. Potter?" Umbridge gave a sickeningly sweet smile.

"The books." Harry spoke, and everyone looked at him.

"If they show everything we've done in the past, then surely it would explain how Sirius was framed." he stated confidently.

"You sound so sure of yourself, Mr. Potter." Fudge glared, but Harry stood his ground.

"I am."

"Very well." Fudge complied begrudgingly. "But if we prove that he is guilty, Sirius Black goes straight to Azkaban."

"Deal." the twins chorused.

Everyone had finally settled down, the guests seating themselves in their respective house tables. At the Gryffindor table, Sirius sat by Harry, who was glaring at anyone who looked at them weirdly. Alex resumed her place on Theo's lap at the Slytherin table, where some of her housemates were sending her odd looks.

"You two don't have to do this, you know." said Sirius, loud enough for Alex to hear at the next table.

"Yes we do." Alex turned to him with a firm stare.

Harry nodded in agreement. "You're family Sirius."

Sirius smiled slightly. He was reminded so much of Lily and James.

"Please continue, Mr. Weasley." said Dumbledore, and George cleared his throat before he read.

**The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and the twin's first thought was that this was not someone to cross.**

"Then, why do you do it?" McGonagall sighed

"Because if we didn't-"

"-the whole school would be dead-"

"-or petrified-"

"-or cowering in fear-"

"-from some psychotic wizard-"

"-everyday for the rest of their lives." the Potter twins finished, making Fred and George huff.

"Oi, would you two-"

"quit doing that?"

**"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.**

**"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."**

**She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was so big you could have fit the whole of the Dursleys' house in it. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.**

"Your descriptions are incredible, Harry." said Hermione.

**They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. The twins could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right — the rest of the school must already be here — but Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously.**

**"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.**

**"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honour.I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.**

**"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."**

**Her eyes lingered for a moment on Neville's cloak,**

"How on earth did she see that?"

"I have my ways, Mr. Finnigan."

**which was fastened under his left ear, and on Ron's smudged nose.**

Ron glared at the twins in turn. "Seriously?"

**Harry nervously tried to flatten his hair.**

Alex snorted. "A lost cause, dear brother."

**"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly."**

**She left the chamber. The twins swallowed.**

**"How exactly do they sort us into houses?" Harry asked Ron.**

**"Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking."**

People laughed at this, even some of the Slytherins smirked.

**Harry and Alex's hearts gave a horrible jolt. A test? In front of the whole school? But they didn't know any magic yet —what on earth would they have to do? They hadn't expected something like this the moment they arrived. They looked around anxiously and saw that everyone else looked terrified, too. No one was talking much except Hermione Granger, who was whispering very fast about all the spells she'd learned and wondering which one she'd need.**

"That didn't help, though." Parvarti sighed.

**Harry tried hard not to listen to her. He'd never been more nervous, never, not even when he'd had to take a school report home to the Dursleys saying that he'd somehow turned his teacher's wig kept his eyes fixed on the door. Any second now, Professor McGonagall would come back and lead him to his doom.**

"You are SUCH a pessimist!"

**Then something happened that made him jump about a foot in the air — several people behind him screamed.**

People sat up a little straighter.

**"What the —?"**

**He gasped. So did the people around him. About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall.**

People relaxed.

**Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing. What looked like a fat little monk was saying: "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance —"**

**"They do that every year." Professor Sinistra chuckled.**

**"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves?**

**He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost — I say, what are you all doing here?"**

**A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years.**

**Nobody answered.**

**"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?"**

**A few people nodded mutely.**

**"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. "My old house, you know."**

**"Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."**

**Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.**

**"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me."**

**Feeling oddly as though his legs had turned to lead, Harry got into line behind a boy with sandy hair, with Alex behind him, and Ron behind her, and they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.**

**Harry had never even imagined such a strange and splendid place. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets.**

"It's amazing." Astoria breathed.

**At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver.**

**Mainly to avoid all the staring eyes, Harry looked upward and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. He heard Hermione whisper, "Its bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in_Hogwarts, A History_."**

**Alex grumbled under her breath.**

"I will get you to read it." Hermione huffed.

Alex shrugged. "I've already read it. It's actually quite interesting."

Ron and Harry gaped at her, along with Fred and George.

"No Alex, we can't lose you to the dark side!" cried Fred dramatically, and Theo glared at him when Alex laughed.

Sirius chuckled again.

**It was hard to believe there was a ceiling there at all, and that the Great Hall didn't simply open on to the heavens.**

**Harry quickly looked down again as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. Aunt Petunia wouldn't have let it in the house.**

"That's not a bad idea." George said thoughtfully.

"No Weasley, you are not bringing the sorting hat to Privet Drive."

George blinked. "I wasn't planning on it, Professor."

**_Maybe they had to try and get a rabbit out of it_, Harry thought wildly, that seemed the sort of thing —**

"Muggle trick."

**noticing that everyone in the hall was now staring at the hat, he stared at it, too. For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth — and the hat began to sing:**

"Sing it Weasley!" said Theo.

"NO!" Fred, Ron, Ginny, Percy, Harry, Alex, Hermione, Sirius, Tonks, Remus, and Lee immediately yelled.

George pouted. "I can't be that awful."

"Hate to break it to you mate, but you sound like a dying hippogriff." Lee said sheepishly.

"Let Ginny do it." Alex said at once.

Giving a brief glare at her friend, Ginny took the book from George and sang.

**"_Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,_**  
**_But don't judge on what you see,_**  
**_I'll eat myself if you can find_**  
**_A smarter hat than me._**  
**Yo_u can keep your bowlers black,_**  
**_Your top hats sleek and tall,_**  
**_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_**  
**_And I can cap them all._**  
**_There's nothing hidden in your head_**  
**_The Sorting Hat can't see,_**  
**_So try me on and I will tell you_**  
**_Where you ought to be._**  
**_You might belong in Gryffindor,_**  
**_Where dwell the brave at heart,_**  
**_Their daring, nerve, and chivalry_**  
**_Set Gryffindors apart;_**  
**_You might belong in Hufflepuff,_**  
**_Where they are just and loyal,_**  
**_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true_**  
**_And unafraid of toil;_**  
**_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_**  
**_if you've a ready mind,_**  
**_Where those of wit and learning,_**  
**_Will always find their kind;_**  
**_Or perhaps in Slytherin_**  
**_You'll make your real friends,_**  
**_Those cunning folk use any means_**  
**_To achieve their ends._**  
**_So put me on! Don't be afraid!_**  
**_And don't get in a flap!_**  
**_You're in safe hands (though I have none)_**  
**_For I'm a Thinking Cap!"_**

Applause rang through the hall.

**The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.**

**"So we've just got to try on the hat!" Ron whispered to the twins. "I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll."**

The quartet shared another look. This time, Fred, George and Sirius caught it.

"What was that look for?" asked Sirius.

"What look?" Alex asked innocently.

"That look."

The quartet did their best to look confused. In the end, Sirius gave up and sighed.

"Nevermind."

"Allie, what did you do?" Theo asked, Blaise, Daphne and Astoria awaiting her answer.

Alex shrugged. "The book will explain it soon."

**Harry smiled weakly, whilst Alex didn't smile. Yes, trying on the hat was a lot better than having to do a spell, but they did wish they could have tried it on without everyone watching. The hat seemed to be asking rather a lot; neither twin felt brave or quick-witted or any of it at the moment. If only the hat had mentioned a house for people who felt a bit queasy, that would have been the one for him.**

"I believe that would be for everyone." said Professor Vector.

**Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.**

**"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Hannah!"**

**A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moments pause —**

**"HUFFLEPUFF!"shouted the hat.**

**The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Harry saw the ghost of the Fat Friar waving merrily at her.**

**"Bones, Susan!"**

**"HUFFLEPUFF!"shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah.**

**"Boot, Terry!"**

**"RAVENCLAW!"**

**The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them.**

**"Brocklehurst, Mandy" went to Ravenclawtoo, but "Brown, Lavender" became the first new Gryffindor,and the table on the far left exploded with cheers; Harry could see Ron's twin brothers catcalling.**

**"Bulstrode, Millicent" then became a Slytherin.**

**Perhaps it was Harry's imagination, after all he'd heard about Slytherin, but he thought they looked like an unpleasant lot.**

"OI!"

"Sorry!"

**He was starting to feel definitely sick now. He remembered being picked for teams during gym at his old school. He and Alex had always been last to be chosen, not because they were no good, but because no one wanted Dudley to think they liked them.**

**"Finch-Fletchley, Justin!"**

**"HUFFLEPUFF!"**

**Sometimes, Harry noticed, the hat shouted out the house at once, but at others it took a little while to decide. "Finnigan, Seamus," the sandy-haired boy next to Harry in the line, sat on the stool for almost a whole minute before the hat declared him a Gryffindor.**

**"Granger, Hermione!"**

**Hermione almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head.**

**"Too flipping observant." Hermione joked.**

**"GRYFFINDOR!"shouted the hat.**

**"Tough luck, mate." Alex said to Ron. Ron groaned.**

"OI!" Hermione laughed.

**A horrible thought struck Harry, as horrible thoughts always do when you're very nervous. What if he wasn't chosen at all? What if he just sat there with the hat over his eyes for ages, until Professor McGonagall jerked it off his head and said there had obviously been a mistake and he'd better get back on the train?**

**When Neville Longbottom, the boy who kept losing his toad, was called, he fell over on his way to the stool. The hat took a long time to decide with Neville. When it finally shouted, "GRYFFINDOR,"**

**Neville ran off still wearing it, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter to give it to "MacDougal, Morag."**

**Malfoy swaggered forward when his name was called and got his wish at once: the hat had barely touched his head when it screamed, "SLYTHERIN!"**

**Malfoy went to join his friends Crabbe and Goyle, looking pleased with himself.**

**There weren't many people left now. "Moon"…, "Nott"…, "Parkinson"…, then a pair of twin girls, "Patil" and "Patil"…, then "Perks, Sally-Anne"…,**

**People cheered as each name was called throughout the replay of the sorting, even a few Slytherins.**

**and then, at last —**

**"Potter, Alexis!"**

Finally the noise stopped and people leaned forward in their seats in anticipation.

**As Alex stepped forward, whispers suddenly broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall.**

**"_Potter_, did she say?"**

**"_The _Alexis Potter?"**

**"Isn't Harry Potter here as well?"**

**The last thing Alex saw before the hat dropped over her eyes was the hall full of people craning to get a good look at her and her brother's reassuring eyes.**

"Awww!" Ginny cooed.

**Next second she was looking at the black inside of the hat. She waited.**

**"Hmm," said a small voice in her ear. "Difficult. Interesting mind you have, though. Very cunning for an eleven year old. Protective over your brother, but there is something different...something darker beneath... So shall it be Slytherin or Gryffindor?"**

People gaped at Alex who looked down in shame. She could have placed in Gryffindor, but because she had let the hat choose her place, she became a Slytherin. Sirius smiled reassuringly.

"We don't care if you're a Slytherin, pup." he said.

"You have to be the nicest Slytherin we know." said Ginny, to the agreement of many of her house mates. Blaise placed a hand on her shoulder and she smiled at all of them.

"Thanks guys."

**Alex gripped the edges of the stool and thought, _Whatever you think is best_.**

**"We shall see then — better be SLYTHERIN!"**

**Alex heard the hat shout the last word to the whole hall and everyone fell silent. She took off the hat and walked shakily toward the Slytherin table, who all seemed wary at the prospect of having her in their house.**

Some of Alex's housemates flinched, and Theo's grip tightened around her waist.

"Sorry," he murmured, and Alex smiled weakly.

"It's fine."

**She dared to glance at her brother; he was staring at her with wide, disbelieving eyes. Ron was by his side, glaring at her.**

Harry and Ron winced.

**She sat next to a pretty brunette who introduced herself as Daphne Greengrass; the only one who bothered to speak to her.**

More flinching.

Daphne patted Alex's hand comfortingly.

**"Potter, Harry!"**

**Alex watched her brother eagerly, but hoped that he would be placed with her.**

**Harry shakily sat on the stool, and the hat's voice whispered. "Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see, and protective over your sister as well. Not a bad mind either. There's talent, A my goodness, yes — and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting…So where shall I put you?**

**Again, people were astounded. Harry could have been in any house?**

**Harry gripped the edge of the stool and thought, _Not Slytherin. Not Slytherin._**

Alex frowned. Harry could have been with her? Did he really choose to just leave her? Somehow she felt...betrayed.

Harry knew his sister was upset. He felt terrible, especially how he had acted with her before the troll incident. But, they were okay now, right?

**"Not Slytherin, eh?" said the small voice. "Are you sure? You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that —"**

**"Fine then - GRYFFINDOR!" the hat yelled and Harry eagerly removed the hat and hopped off the stool.**

**He was so relieved to have been chosen and not put in Slytherin, he hardly noticed that he was getting the loudest cheer so far. Percy the Prefect got up and shook his hand vigorously, while the Weasley twins yelled, "We got Potter! We got Potter!"**

**Harry sat down opposite the ghost in the ruff he'd seen earlier. The ghost patted his arm, giving Harry the sudden, horrible feeling he'd just plunged it into a bucket of ice-cold water.**

People shivered.

**He could see the High Table properly now. At the end nearest him sat Hagrid, who caught his eye and gave him the thumbs up. Harry grinned back. And there, in the centre of the High Table, in a large gold chair, sat Albus Dumbledore.**

More cheers. The looks of disgust that was on Fudge's and Umbrige's faces became more pronounced.

**Harry recognized him at once from the card they'd gotten out of the Chocolate Frog on the train. Dumbledore's silver hair was the only thing in the whole hall that shone as brightly as the ghosts.**

People laughed. It was true.

**Harry spotted Professor Quirrell, too, the nervous young man from the Leaky Cauldron. He was looking very peculiar in a large purple turban.**

Again, the quartet shared a look, and Hermione snorted out loud.

**And now there were only three people left to be sorted. "Thomas, Dean," a Black boy even taller than Ron, joined Harry at the Gryffindor table.**

The cheers erupted once more.

**"Turpin, Lisa," became a Ravenclawand then it was Ron's turn. He was pale green by now. Harry crossed his fingers under the table and a second later the hat had shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"**"

Fred, George, and Ginny whooped, and Percy smiled a tad.

**Harry clapped loudly with the rest as Ron collapsed into the chair next to him.**

**"Well done, Ron, excellent," said Percy Weasley pompously across Harry as "Zabini, Blaise," was made a Slytherin.**

**Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat away.**

**Harry looked down at his empty gold plate. He had only just realized how hungry he was. The pumpkin pasties seemed ages ago.**

"They where." Ron groaned from his seat.

**Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.**

**"Welcome," he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!"**

Many in the Hall laughed.

"We've corrupted you." Sirius chuckled, and Molly reached over the table and hit him upside the head.

**He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered. Harry didn't know whether to laugh or not, while Alex settled for a small smile.**

**"Is he — a bit mad?" Harry asked Percy uncertainly.**

"Harry!" Molly admonished.

"Of course he is Harry." Remus grinned "That's what makes him such an entertaining man."

Dumbledore smiled. "Thank you Remus."

**"Mad?" said Percy airily. "He's a genius! Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad, yes. Potatoes, Harry?"**

**Harry's mouth fell open. The dishes in front of him were now piled with food. He had never seen so many things he liked to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and, for some strange reason, peppermint humbugs.**

**The Dursleys had never exactly starved the twins, but they'd never been allowed to eat as much as they liked.**

Both Molly and Madam Pomfrey eyes the twins again. They were too scrawny for their age.

**Dudley had always taken anything that Harry or Alex really wanted, even if it made him sick. Harry piled his plate with a bit of everything except the peppermints and began to eat.**

**It was all delicious.**

**Alex got a bit of everything as well, but ate a considerable amount. It was a habit she had grown up with when she had lived with the Dursleys, and even if she was away, it seemed the restraint was still there.**

**Harry frowned as he glanced at his sister at the Slytherin table.**

And so did most of the people in the Hall.

**"That does look good," said the ghost in the ruff sadly, watching Harry cut up his steak.**

**"Can't you —?"**

"So caring." Molly cooed.

**"I haven't eaten for nearly five hundred years," said the ghost. "I don't need to, of course, but one does miss it. I don't think I've introduced myself? Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower."**

**"I know who you are!" said Ron suddenly. "My brothers told me about you — you're Nearly Headless Nick!"**

**"I would_prefer_you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy —" the ghost began stiffly, but sandy-haired Seamus Finnigan interrupted.**

**"_Nearly _Headless? How can you be _nearly _headless?"**

**Sir Nicholas looked extremely miffed, as if their little chat wasn't going at all the way he wanted.**

"Oh it is actually" Arthur chuckled.

"He told James and I that he always did that, just so people would ask." Sirius snorted.

**"Like _this_," he said irritably. He seized his left ear and pulled. His whole head swung off his neck and fell onto his shoulder as if it was on a hinge. Someone had obviously tried to behead him, but not done it properly. Looking pleased at the stunned looks on their faces.**

**Nearly Headless Nick flipped his head back onto his neck, coughed, and said, "So — new Gryffindors! I hope you're going to help us win the house championship this year? Gryffindors have never gone so long without winning. Slytherins have got the cup six years in a row!**

Slytherin cheered, but not mockingly as they had used to.

**The Bloody Baron's becoming almost unbearable — he's the Slytherin ghost."**

**Harry looked over at the Slytherin table and saw a horrible ghost sitting there, with blank staring eyes, a gaunt face, and robes stained with silver blood. He was right next to Malfoy who, Harry was pleased to see, didn't look too pleased with the seating arrangements.**

"Gee, thanks a bunch Potter." piped Malfoy sarcastically.

**"How did he get covered in blood?" asked Seamus with great interest.**

**"I've never asked," said Nearly Headless Nick delicately.**

**When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the remains of the food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before. A moment later the desserts appeared. Blocks of ice cream in every flavour you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate éclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, Jell-O, rice pudding…**

**As Harry helped himself to a treacle tart,**

"Your mum's favourite." Remus and Sirius shook their heads.

**the talk turned to their families.**

**"I'm half-and-half," said Seamus. "Me dad's a Muggle. Mum didn't tell him she was a witch 'til after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him." The others laughed.**

"That's not funny!" Harry, Alex and Snape snapped at once.

"What if he'd been like the Dursleys?" Harry asked him seriously.

Alex scowled. "He would have taken it out on you."

Seamus paled at the thought, and the rest looked ashamed. No one had ever thought of that.

**"What about you, Neville?" said Ron.**

**"Well, my gran brought me up and she's a witch," said Neville, "but the family thought I was all-Muggle for ages.**

"Squib."

**My Great Uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off my guard and force some magic out of me he pushed me off the end of Blackpool pier once, I nearly drowned**

"WHAT?"

**but nothing happened until I was eight. Great Uncle Algie came round for dinner, and he was hanging me out of an upstairs window by the ankles when my Great Auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally let go.**

"He shouldn't have been hanging you out the window in the first place."

"Accidentally my arse."

**But I bounced all the way down the garden and into the road. They were all really pleased, Gran was crying, she was so happy.**

"She was happy her grandson could have died?" Ginny asked incredulously.

**And you should have seen their faces when I got in here they thought I might not be magic enough to come, you see. Great Uncle Algie was so pleased he bought me my toad."**

"Yeah, cause that's an excellent gift." Theo drawled sarcastically.

**On Harry's other side, Percy Weasley and Hermione were talking about lessons**

**"There's the Hermione we know and love."**

**("I_do_hope they start right away, there's so much to learn, I'm particularly interested in Transfiguration, you know, turning something into something else, of course, it's supposed to be very difficult —";**

"Unless you have a natural talent for it." McGonagall commented, remembering James.

**"You'll be starting small, just matches into needles and that sort of thing — ").**

**Harry, who was starting to feel warm and sleepy, looked up at the High Table again. Hagrid was drinking deeply from his goblet. Professor McGonagall was talking to Professor Dumbledore. Professor Quirrell, in his absurd turban, was talking to a teacher with greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin.**

Remus and Sirius immediately burst into peals of laughter, and Snape scowled.

**It happened very suddenly. The hook-nosed teacher looked past Quirrell's turban straight into Harry's eyes — and a sharp, hot pain shot across the scar on Harry's forehead.**

**"Ouch!" Harry clapped a hand to his head.**

**"What is it?" asked Percy.**

**"N-nothing."**

"Lies!" The Weasley twins called in an impression of Umbridge.

**The pain had gone as quickly as it had come. Harder to shake off was the feeling Harry had gotten from the teacher's look — a feeling that he didn't like Harry at all.**

**And Alex, who had a shared connection with her twin, felt it as well. She sucked in a breath, nursing the sore spot on her forehead.**

**"Are you all right?" asked Daphne.**

**"I'm fine," said Alex. "Just a bit overwhelmed."**

**Daphne looked doubtful, but relented. "If you're sure..."**

"Hey, somebody has to care!" Daphne grinned.

**Alex turned to where Harry was looking at."Hey Daph, who's that man next to Professor Quirrel?"**

**"Which one?"**

**"The one that looks like he hasn't heard of a shower before."**

"Sorry!" Alex squeaked as other people laughed loudly, especially Remus and Sirius, and the Weasley twins.

Snape shook his head. "That cheek will get you in trouble someday Potter."

_'I think it already has._' Alex thought disdainfully with a glare in Umbridge's direction.

**Daphne chuckled lightly at her description.**

**"Oh, that's Professor Snape, our head of house." she explained, and Alex had the decency to look sheepish.**

**"Oops...?"**

**Daphne rolled her eyes but smirked. "Yeah, oops..."**

More laughter, and some of the Slytherins were shaking their heads, chuckling.

**At the Gryffindor table, Harry was wondering the same thing.**

"You two think too much alike." Hermione shook her head.

"Alex isn't as reckless though." Ron snickered when Harry smacked his arm.

**"Who's that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?" he asked Percy.**

**"Oh, you know Quirrell already, do you? No wonder he's looking so nervous, that's Professor Snape. He teaches Potions, but he doesn't want to — everyone knows he's after Quirrell's job. Knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, Snape."**

**Harry watched Snape for a while, but Snape didn't look at him again.**

**At last, the desserts too disappeared, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again.**

**The hall fell silent.**

**"Ahem — just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well."**

**Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins.**

"That used to be us." Remus smiled.

"You were a troublemaker Professor?" Parvarti asked curiously.

"Troublemaker? We were the best pranksters this school has ever seen!" Sirius exclaimed, earning laughs from the quartet, much to the confusion of others.

**"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.**

People snorted.

**"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch.**

"Or catch a rememberall." Angelina grinned.

"And beat Malfoy off his broom." Marcus added with a chuckle.

**"And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."**

**Harry laughed, but he was one of the few who did.**

**"He's not serious?" Harry muttered to Percy.**

**"Must be," said Percy, frowning at Dumbledore. "It's odd, because he usually gives us a reason why we're not allowed to go somewhere — the forest's full of dangerous beasts, everyone knows that. I do think he might have told us prefects, at least."**

"Yes I was a prat I know." Percy sighed.

**"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" cried Dumbledore. Harry noticed that the other teachers' smiles had become rather fixed.**

All the teachers face palmed. "Sorry." Harry smiled as Dumbledore looked at them.

**Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick, as if he was trying to get a fly off the end, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike, into words.**

**"Everyone pick their favourite tune," said Dumbledore, "and off we go!"**

**And the school bellowed:**

**"_Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,_**  
**_Teach us something please,__  
__Whether we be old and bald__  
__Or young with scabby knees,__  
__Our heads could do with filling__  
__With some interesting stuff,__  
__For now they're bare and full of air,__  
__Dead flies and bits of fluff,__  
__So teach us things worth knowing,__  
__Bring back what we've forgot,__  
__Just do your best, we'll do the rest,__  
__And learn until our brains all rot."_**

**Everybody finished the song at different times. At last, only the Weasley twins were left singing along to a very slow funeral march.**

**Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest.**

People clapped now very happy.

**"Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"**

"What are we? horses?" Seamus asked and everyone laughed.

**The Gryffindor first years followed Percy through the chattering crowds, out of the Great Hall, and up the marble staircase. Harry's legs were like lead again, but only because he was so tired and full of food. He was too sleepy even to be surprised that the people in the portraits along the corridors whispered and pointed as they passed, or that twice Percy led them through doorways hidden behind sliding panels and hanging tapestries.**

"And that's why everyone gets lost." Madam Pince mumbled.

**They climbed more staircases, yawning and dragging their feet, and Harry was just wondering how much farther they had to go when they came to a sudden halt.**

**A bundle of walking sticks was floating in midair ahead of them, and as Percy took a step toward them they started throwing themselves at him.**

**"Peeves," Percy whispered to the first years. "A poltergeist." He raised his voice, "Peeves —show yourself."**

**A loud, rude sound, like the air being let out of a balloon, answered.**

**"Do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron?"**

"Don't pull the Baron card that early or he won't care." Remus sighed.

**There was a pop, and a little man with wicked, dark eyes and a wide mouth appeared, floating cross-legged in the air, clutching the walking sticks.**

**"Oooooooh!" he said, with an evil cackle. "Ickle Firsties! What fun!"**

**He swooped suddenly at them. They all ducked.**

**"Go away, Peeves, or the Baron'll hear about this, I mean it!" barked Percy.**

**Peeves stuck out his tongue and vanished, dropping the walking sticks on Neville's head. They heard him zooming away, rattling coats of armour as he passed.**

**"You want to watch out for Peeves," said Percy, as they set off again. "The Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us prefects. Here we are."**

**At the very end of the corridor hung a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress.**

**"Password?" she said.**

**"Caput Draconis," said Percy, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. They all scrambled through it — Neville needed a leg up — and found themselves in the Gryffindor common room, a cozy, round room full of squashy armchairs.**

**Percy directed the girls through one door to their dormitory and the boys through another. At the top of a spiral staircase — they were obviously in one of the towers — they found their beds at last: five four-posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains.**

Everyone else, especially the Slytherins, looked curious.

"Sounds comfy." said Luna.

**Their trunks had already been brought up. Too tired to talk much, they pulled on their pyjamas and fell into bed.**

**"Great food, isn't it?" Ron muttered to Harry through the hangings. "Get_off_, Scabbers! He's chewing my sheets."**

Sirius, Remus and the quartet glowered.

**Harry was going to ask Ron if he'd had any of the treacle tart, but he fell asleep almost at once.**

**Perhaps Harry had eaten a bit too much, because he had a very strange dream. He was wearing Professor Quirrell's turban, which kept talking to him, telling him hemust transfer to Slytherin with his sister at once, because it was their destiny. Harry told the turban they didn't want to be in Slytherin; it got heavier and heavier; he tried to pull it off but it tightened painfully — and there was Malfoy, laughing at him as he struggled with it — then Malfoy turned into the hook-nosed teacher, Snape, whose laugh became high and cold — there was a burst of green light and Harry woke, sweating and shaking.**

"Unfortunately that's common." said Harry's roommates as one.

**_It was just a dream._Harry heard Alex's voice in his head. He assumed he must just be really tired and had started hearing things._Everything's fine. It was only a dream._**

**Harry rolled over and fell asleep again, and when he woke next day, he didn't remember thee dream at all.**

**Meanwhile, a boy named Marcus Flint lead the Slytherins down to the dungeons, and in front of a bare stone wall.**

"And you ask why no one can find it?" Malfoy raised an eyebrow at Marcus, who shrugged with a smirk.

"It serves its purpose." he said.

**The Slytherin common room was a long, low underground room with rough stone walls and ceiling from which round, greenish lamps were hanging on chains. A fire was crackling under an elaborately carved mantelpiece ahead of them, high-backed chairs surrounding it.**

The Gryffindors listened with interest.

**"Boys dorms on the left, girls on the right!" said Flint, "Any problems within this house remains in the common room. Appearances are everything when we face the rest of the school; everyone else is against us. So always support your own house."**

**It was like a sick pep talk for house unity. It was then Alex officially realized: she had no one. She had lost her first friend and her brother probably hated her.**

"Were we really that bad?" Ron asked with a frown of his own.

Alex shrugged and leaned into Theo. "For the most part."

**Her only companion now was Daphne Greengrass.**

"I feel loved." said Daphne.

Her brother and her Gryffindor friends frowned, so did Theo and Blaise.

**What was worse was that she had to pretend to be nice to Malfoy.**

Malfoy rolled his eyes.

**She headed to the girl's dorms, the one labeled first years. There with her was Pansy Parkinson, Millicent Bulstrode, and thankfully, Daphne.**

**After changing into her pajamas, Alex flopped herself onto her bed and fell asleep without a goodnight. Her dream was just as strange, watching her brother argue with a turban. It must be from the lack of food in her system.**

Molly and Madam Pomfrey scowled.

**She tried to help him, but a snake coiled itself around her, keeping her in place.**

**When her eyes snapped open, she assured herself it was only a dream. Her brother was safe in Gryffindor tower, and though he probably hated her now for being in Slytherin, she was determined to keep him safe.**

"That's the end of this chapter." George announced.

"That twin link has saved our lives." Ron shook his head.

"Yeah, but it gave me a headache when Alex decided to take Arithmancy last year." Harry snorted.

"Was it really that bad at first? Being in Slytherin?" Remus asked Alex. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Sirius, Blaise, Daphne, Astoria, Marcus, Malfoy and Theo all glanced at her expectantly. When she didn't answer, Harry spoke up.

"We're talking after the next chapter."

Alex nodded silently, and Fred summoned the book into his hands.

* * *

**And this concludes this chapter. Reviews are greatly appreciated!**

**~Cassandra**


	8. The Potions Master

**Eighth chapter for you all! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter; it all belongs to J.K Rowling and Warner Brothers Inc. However, I do own Alex.

**Pairings:** All are canon with the exception of my Theo/OC pairing.

* * *

Fred read the title and sighed," **The Potions Master.**"

"Why does the git get a whole chapter to himself?" Ron groaned.

Snape eyed him warningly.

**"There, look."**

**"Where?"**

**"Next to the tall kid with the red hair."**

**"Wearing the glasses?"**

**"Did you see his face?"**

**"Did you see his scar?" Were just of the few things Harry heard.**

"I can see how that would get annoying," Arthur said.

"You have no idea."

**"There she is!"**

**"I can't see her scar!"**

**"Why do you think she's in Slytherin?"**

**"Is she evil?" Alex huffed silently as she trailed along the corridors with Daphne.**

"Really? She gets placed in Slytherin and she's automatically evil? What is wrong with you lot?" Marcus growled. He knew that his house didn't have the best reputation, but singling out Alex to be automatically evil and to become the next dark lady was ludicrous.

Many students from other houses winced as many Slytherins eyed them patronizingly, angrily and warily.

Sirius and Remus frowned, while Molly silently fumed, Arthur trying to calm her.

**Whispers followed the twins from the moment they left their dormitories the next day. People lining up outside classrooms stood on tiptoe to get a look at them, or doubled back to pass them in the corridors again, staring.**

**Harry and Alex wished they wouldn't, because they were trying to concentrate on finding their way to classes.**

"Why don't you just ask one of them?" asked Molly.

Ron snorted.

**"Honestly, you'd think people living in a world of magic would have something more interesting to do than stare at a couple of kids." Alex muttered Daphne.**

**Daphne smiled and shook her head.**

"Sure, you enjoy laughing at my pain."

**There were a hundred and forty-two staircases at Hogwarts**

"You counted?" Hermione said raising her eyebrow.

Harry shrugged. "We didn't mean to. It just sort of stuck."

"It just popped in my head. I'm guessing it was the twin link." Alex chuckled.

**: wide, sweeping ones; narrow, rickety ones; some that led somewhere different on a Friday; some with a vanishing step halfway up that you had to remember to jump.**

"I hate those." muttered Neville.

**Then there were doors that wouldn't open unless you asked politely, or tickled them in exactly the right place, and doors that weren't really doors at all, but solid walls just pretending. It was also very hard to remember where anything was, because it all seemed to move around a lot.**

"I'm ashamed," Sirius said dramatically, and the twins laughed.

**The people in the portraits kept going to visit each other, and Harry was sure the coats of armor could walk.**

Hermione nodded. "They could."

**The ghosts didn't help, either. It was always a nasty shock when one of them glided suddenly through a door you were trying to open.**

A lot of people, including Slytherins, muttered their agreements.

**Nearly Headless Nick was always happy to point new Gryffindors in the right direction,**

Molly nodded approvingly.

**but Peeves the Poltergeist was worth two locked doors and a trick staircase if you met him when you were late for class.**

**He would drop wastepaper baskets on your head, pull rugs from under your feet, pelt you with bits of chalk, or sneak up behind you, invisible, grab your nose, and screech, "GOT YOUR CONK!"**

"That's horrible," Molly cried, while Remus and Sirius burst into full-blown laughter.

"He-he still does that?" Sirius gasped through laughs.

McGonagall glared at him. "This would be your and Mr. Potter's doing, I assume?"

"Sirius Black!" Molly shrieked. "You should know better than this!"

"It's actually funny when he's not doing it to you though." George pointed out, earning a glare from his mother.

**Even worse than Peeves, if that was possible, was the caretaker, Argus Filch. Harry and Ron managed to get on the wrong side of him on their very first morning.**

"Ah, you hear that Remus? The pup following in the Marauder footsteps!" Sirius said proudly, wrapping his arm around the Harry's shoulders.

Fred paused his reading and he and George perked up. "You knew the Marauders?" they asked in unison.

Many of the teachers groaned, the quartet plus Sirius and Remus grinned, while everyone else looked confused.

"Knew them? They were the greatest pranksters that ever walked through the halls of Hogwarts!" Sirius announced cockily, to which Alex rolled her eyes at. Remus, Sirius, and Snape were distinctly reminded of Lily whenever James did something stupid.

**Filch found them trying to force their way through a door that unluckily turned out to be the entrance to the out-of-bounds corridor on the third floor.**

"Oh dear," said Molly.

**He wouldn't believe they were lost, was sure they were trying to break into it on purpose, and was threatening to lock them in the dungeonswhen they were rescued by Professor Quirrell, who was passing.**

"Right, just passing," Ron remarked snidely.

**Filch owned a cat called Mrs. Norris, a scrawny, dust-colored creature with bulging, lamp like eyes just like Filch's. She patrolled the corridors alone. Break a rule in front of her, put just one toe out of line, and she'd whisk off for Filch, who'd appear, wheezing, two seconds later.**

**Filch knew the secret passageways of the school better than anyone**

Fred paused his reading as he, George, Sirius, and Remus scoffed indignantly.

**(except perhaps the Weasley twins)**

Fred and George smiled proudly.

**and could pop up as suddenly as any of the ghosts. The students all hated him, and it was the dearest ambition of many to give Mrs. Norris a good kick.**

Alex and Ron smirked.

**And then, once you had managed to find them, there were the classes themselves. There was a lot more to magic, as the twins quickly found out, than waving your wand and saying a few funny words.**

"Well of course there is," Hermione scoffed, and everyone looked at her oddly. She blushed.

**They had to study the night skies through their telescopes every Wednesday at midnight and learn the names of different stars and the movements of the planets. Three times a week they went out to the greenhouses behind the castle to study Herbology, with a dumpy little witch called Professor Sprout,where they learned how to take care of all the strange plants and fungi, and found out what they were used for. Easily the most boring class was History of Magic, which was the only one taught by a ghost.**

Everyone nodded except Hermione.

"I know you love school Hermione but you have to admit it is boring," Alex said.

"You're just too lazy to study." Hermione retorted. "The boys are a bad influence on you."

"Which ones?" Alex snorted and pointed to Theo, Blaise and Malfoy. "Because I blame this lot."

Hermione shook her head as Blaise and Theo snickered, while Malfoy smirked.

**Professor Binns had been very old indeed when he had fallen asleep in front of the staff room fire and got up next morning to teach, leaving his body behind him. Binns droned on and on while they scribbled down names and dates, and got Emetic the Evil and Uric the Oddball mixed up.**

**Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, was a tiny little wizard who had to stand on a pile of books to see over his desk.**

**At the start of their first class he took the roll call, and when he reached Harry and Alex's names he gave an excited squeak and toppled out of sight.**

Everyone chuckled at Professor Flitwick's reaction.

**Professor McGonagall was again different. The twins had been quite right to think she wasn't a teacher to cross.**

"Again, why do you do it?" McGonagall sighed.

Molly glanced at the golden trio, and one-fourth of the silver quartet, Fred and George warily, wondering exactly what they have been doing.

**Strict and clever, she gave them a talking-to the moment they sat down in her first class.**

**"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts," she said. "Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned."**

**Then she changed her desk into a pig and back again. They were all very impressed and couldn't wait to get started, but soon realized they weren't going to be changing the furniture into animals for a long time.**

**After taking a lot of complicated notes, they were each given a match and started trying to turn it into a needle. By the end of the lesson, only Hermione Granger had made any difference to her match; Professor McGonagall showed the class how it had gone all silver and pointy and gave Hermione a rare smile.**

**"She's such a bloody know-it-all. It's not a wonder no one can stand her." Pansy Parkinson sneered as they exited the transfiguration classroom, and Alex fought the urge to slap the girl senseless. True, she wasn't exactly fond of Hermione Granger, but the girl didn't deserve to be bullied.**

"Thanks Alex."

"Why are you in Slytherin again?"

"Shut up Malfoy."

"You wanted to _SLAP ME_?

**The class everyone had really been looking forward to was Defense Against the Dark Arts, but Quirrell's lessons turned out to be a bit of a joke.**

"How did you ever learn?" Tonks asked.

The kids all smiled and glanced at the Potters.

**His classroom smelled strongly of garlic, which everyone said was to ward off a vampire he'd met in Romania and was afraid would be coming back to get him one of these days. His turban, he told them, had been given to him by an African prince as a thank-you for getting rid of a troublesome zombie, but they weren't sure they believed this story.**

The trio and quartet's looks darkened. They knew exactly what was beneath that turban.

**For one thing, when Seamus Finnigan asked eagerly to hear how Quirrell had fought off the zombie, Quirrell went pink and started talking about the weather; for another, they had noticed that a funny smell hung around the turban,**

Harry shuddered and Alex gulped.

**and the Weasley twins insisted that it was stuffed full of garlic as well, so that Quirrell was protected wherever he went.**

Everyone laughed except the trio and quartet.

**Harry and Alex were very relieved to find out that they weren't miles behind everyone else. Lots of people had come from Muggle families and, like them, hadn't had any idea that they were witches and wizards. There was so much to learn that even people like Ron didn't have much of a head start.**

"Well Ron is a special case," Fred joked.

"FRED!" Molly scolded.

**Heck, even Daphne and Pansy seemed to have trouble.**

**Friday was an important day for the Harry and Ron. They finally managed to find their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast without getting lost once.**

**"What have we got today?" Harry asked Ron as he poured sugar on his porridge.**

**"Double Potions with the Slytherins," said Ron.**

**"Just our luck," Harry said.**

"I don't know whether I should or should not be offended." said Alex.

"Sorry."

**Harry paused as his thoughts drifted off to his sister. They hadn't spoken a word to each other since the sorting,**

"Sorry." said Harry.

"Apologize again and I'm going to pull a Hermione." Alex said seriously and Ron snorted in laughter.

**and it worried him, even if he wouldn't admit it.**

**"Snape's Head of Slytherin House. They say he always favours them — we'll be able to see if it's true."**

"It is," Harry muttered.

"It doesn't help that he hates you," Ron told Harry. Alex stared at him, deadpanned, and Hermione smacked him upside the head.

"OW! Bloody hell woman!"

**"Wish McGonagall favoured us," said Harry.**

Fred and George laughed," That will never happen."

Sirius and Remus snorted.

**Professor McGonagall was head of Gryffindor House, but it hadn't stopped her from giving them a huge pile of homework the day before.**

**"Should I be happy that McGonagall isn't as biased as Snape?" Alex told Daphne, who giggled uncontrollably.**

Snape shook his head, and McGonagall grinned. Some Slytherins snickered and the Gryffindors laughed.

**"Don't let Snape hear you say that. He might think you're going Gryffindor." said Daphne.**

"Was that supposed to be an insult?" Oliver mused.

**Just then, the mail arrived. Harry had gotten used to this by now, but it had given him a bit of a shock on the first morning, when about a hundred owls had suddenly streamed into the Great Hall during breakfast, circling the tables until they saw their owners, and dropping letters and packages onto their laps.**

**Hedwig hadn't brought Harry anything so far. She sometimes flew in to nibble his ear and have a bit of toast before going off to sleep in the owlery with the other school owls.**

"That's so sweet," Molly cooed.

**Midnight, however, wasn't as gentle. She would peck Alex's cheek, then steal the toast in the girl's hand before flying off to the owlery with Hedwig, leaving Alex to glare after the black owl.**

"She has your personality." Astoria laughed.

**This morning, however, she fluttered down between the marmalade and the sugar bowl and dropped a note onto Alex's plate.**

**Alex tore it open at once. It said, in a very untidy scrawl:**

**_Dear Alex and Harry,_**

**_I know you get Friday afternoons off, so would you like to come and have a cup of tea with me around three?_**

**_I want to hear all about your first week. Send us an answer back with Hedwig._**

**_Hagrid_**

Hagrid smiled.

**Alex borrowed Daphne's quill, scribbled _Yes, please, see you later _on the back of the note, and sent Midnight off again. Harry had received a similar note from Hedwig over at the Gryffindor table.**

**It was lucky that the she had tea with Hagrid to look forward to, even if she had to face the wrath of her brother,**

"You know I'd never do anything." Harry shook his head and Alex smiled.

**because the Potions lesson turned out to be the worst thing that had happened to them so far.**

"Was really that bad?" Sirius asked.

Harry nodded," So far at least."

**At the start-of-term banquet, Harry had gotten the idea that Professor Snape disliked him. By the end of the first Potions lesson, he knew he'd been wrong.**

**Snape didn't dislike Harry —**

"WHAT?" the Weasley children (minus Fred who was reading), Sirius, Remus, and a few other Gryffindors exclaimed.

**he _hated _him.**

"Phew, everything is right in the world again." Ron sighed in relief.

"Why would he hate you he doesn't even know you?" Molly yelled in outrage.

"James," Remus murmured, and Sirius looked a tad guilty.

Alex caught Snape's eye, and he gave her a curt nod.

**Potions lessons took place down in one of the dungeons. It was colder here than up in the main castle, and would have been quite creepy enough without the pickled animals floating in glass jars all around the walls.**

**Snape, like Flitwick, started the class by taking the roll call, and like Flitwick, he paused at twins' names.**

**"Ah, Yes," he said softly, "Harry and Alexis Potter. Our new —_celebrities_."**

"Like they want it you greasy git," Ginny growled.

"GINNY!" Molly scolded.

"Keep reading Fred," Alex said quietly.

**Draco Malfoy and his friends Crabbe and Goyle sniggered behind their hands, and Alex glared at them. She had to stick by her house, but it didn't mean she had to like them. They stopped snickering at once as they spotted the cold look in Alex's eyes.**

A few snickers echoed.

**Snape finished calling the names and looked up at the class. His eyes were black like Hagrid's, but they had none of Hagrid's warmth.**

"Don't compare that git to Hagrid!" said Ron, and Alex glowered, and aimed a paper-back book at Ron's head, hitting it's target perfectly.

"GAH!"

"Don't talk about him like that!" she hissed. Harry burst into peals of laughter at the look on Ron's face.

Remus and Sirius exchanged glances. Marcus, along with the Slytherin quidditch team, erupted in laughter. Oliver was staring at her in surprise.

"That was a brilliant aim." he complimented.

"It's better than a rock." said Malfoy as he and Crabbe winced.

**They were cold and empty and made you think of dark tunnels.**

**"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making," he began. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but they caught every word — like Professor McGonagall, Snape had the gift of keeping a class silent without effort.**

"More out of fear than respect, though," said Padma.

**"As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses… I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death— if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."**

"That was actually a good speech, until he called them dunderheads." said Tonks, and Molly nodded in agreement.

**More silence followed this little speech. Harry and Ron exchanged looks with raised eyebrows. Hermione Granger was on the edge of her seat and looked desperate to start proving that she wasn't a dunderhead.**

Fred paused. "Hermione? Our Hermione?"

"A dunderhead?" George put in.

"Never." they finished.

**"Potter!" said Snape suddenly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"**

"They wouldn't know that," Remus said.

"Well he's never fair with Harry," Ron said rolling his eyes.

**_Powdered root of what to an infusion of what_? Harry glanced at Ron, who looked as stumped as he was; Hermione's hand had shot into the air. Alex opened her mouth to answer, but was cut off by Snape.**

**"Well, Mr. Potter?"**

"He did that on purpose." Lavender scowled.

**"I don't know, sir," said Harry.**

**Snape's lips curled into a sneer.**

**"Tut, tut — fame clearly isn't everything."**

"Never said it was," Ginny said glaring at the book.

"Was that really called for, Professor?" Alex asked Snape from where she sat, but received no reply.

**He ignored Hermione's hand.**

**"Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"**

"How is he suppose to know these things," Tonks said her hair turning red.

**Hermione stretched her hand as high into the air as it would go without her leaving her seat, but Harry didn't have the faintest idea what a bezoar was. He tried not to look at Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, who were shaking with laughter. Alex wanted to help him, she really did. She could have mouthed the words, or written the answers in a parchment for Harry to read off, but her twin didn't even glance her way.**

"Do _NOT_ apologize!" Alex snapped as Harry opened his mouth.

"I thought you had that twin telepathy?" Ron asked.

"We haven't developed it yet." Harry shrugged.

**"I don't know, sir."**

**"Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter?"**

"How dare you Harry," George said shaking his head mockingly.

"Of course you should have memorized the whole thing," Fred scolded just as playfully.

**Harry forced himself to keep looking straight into those cold eyes. He had looked through his books at the Dursleys', but did Snape expect him to remember everything in _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_?**

**Snape was still ignoring Hermione's quivering hand and Alex's glare.**

Many Slytherins shuddered.

**"What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?"**

"At least that one's a first year question." Arthur shook his head.

**At this, Hermione stood up, her hand stretching toward the dungeon ceiling.**

**"I don't know," said Harry quietly.**

**"But I think Hermione knows, _sir, _why don't you try her?" Alex suddenly spat. "It would be more beneficial than picking on students who have clearly done _nothing _wrong to you."**

**At this point, the class and Snape were shocked into silence. Alexis Potter, a Slytherin, just stood up to one of the nastiest teacher's in Hogwarts. A student from his own house! People were glancing between the glaring 11 year old, and Snape in anticipation. But the Professor seemed to be deep in thought.**

Everyone in the Great Hall was silent. Most knew that Alex stood up to Snape, but not all of them knew how it had really happened.

Molly was looking at Alex, debating whether or not to scold her, Fred and George whooped, and Theo grinned down at her. "That's my girl!"

Alex was sure she was blushing fifty shades of red by now, and Harry smirked at her.

"Oi Nott, hands off my sister!" he joked.

Theo smirked and hugged Alex tightly. "No bloody way, Potter, she's mine!"

Though he appeared to be teasing, the Slytherins knew better. Theodore Nott had just staked his claim on Alexis Potter.

**Alex finally caught her brother's eye; both he and Ron were stunned. Snape, however, was not pleased.**

**"Sit down," he snapped at Hermione, then turned to Alex. "Do you know the answers, Ms. Potter?"**

**"Draught of Living Death, stomach of a goat, and there's no difference because they're the same plant." she recited in order, her glare not once wavering. Snape looked surprised yet disgruntled.**

"That's an achievement." Cho smiled.

"How did you know all that?" asked Oliver.

Alex shrugged.

**"At least one of you has inherited your mother's intelligence. Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?"**

"You didn't tell them to?" Dean said.

**There was a sudden rummaging for quills and parchment. Over the noise, Snape said, "A point will be taken from Gryffindor House for your ignorance, Mr. Potter, and a point to Slytherin for Ms. Potter's correct answers."**

"Please tell me this doesn't continue?" Molly sighed.

"Oh no, me and Snape become the _best of friends_," Harry said sarcastically, and Alex snickered.

"Oh yes, joined at the hips."

**"And another point _from _Slytherin for your cheek, Ms. Potter."**

More silence.

"WHAT. JUST. HAPPENED?" Tonks stared at the book, wide eyed.

"Snape must have eaten something rotten before class." Roger Davies blinked in amazement.

"He actually _took_ points from Slytherin!" Justin gasped.

**A few nasty comments were passed to Alex, but she was thankful it wasn't worse.**

**Things didn't improve for the Gryffindors as the Potions lesson continued. Snape put them all into pairs and set them to mixing up a simple potion to cure boils. He swept around in his long black cloak, watching them weigh dried nettles and crush snake fangs, criticizing almost everyone except Malfoy, whom he seemed to like, and Alex, which practically confused everyone.**

**Alex thought it was just because she had been paired with Malfoy.**

"I feel sorry for you." said George.

"What is that supposed to mean Weasley?" Malfoy sneered.

"It means you're an arsehole, ferret." Alex smirked, and Molly reprimanded her for her language.

**He was just telling everyone to look at the perfect way Malfoy had stewed his horned slugs when clouds of acid green smoke and a loud hissing filled the dungeon. Neville had somehow managed to melt Seamus's cauldron into a twisted blob, and their potion was seeping across the stone floor, burning holes in people's shoes. Within seconds, the whole class was standing on their stools while Neville, who had been drenched in the potion when the cauldron collapsed, moaned in pain as angry red boils sprang up all over his arms and legs.**

"Poor boy," Arthur said sympathetically.

**"Idiot boy!"snarled Snape,**

Fred started to cower away at the intensity of glares being thrown at the book.

"No wonder Neville is so scared of him." Remus shook his head angrily.

**clearing the spilled potion away with one wave of his wand. "I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?"**

**Neville whimpered as boils started to pop up all over his nose.**

**"Take him up to the hospital wing," Snape spat at Seamus. Then he rounded on Harry and Ron, who had been working next to Neville.**

**"You — Potter — why didn't you tell him not to add the quills?**

"He was making his own potion," Tonks said irritably.

**Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That's another point you've lost for Gryffindor."**

"Harry, Harry," Fred tisked.

**This was so unfair that Harry opened his mouth to argue, but Ron kicked him behind their cauldron.**

**"Don't push it," he muttered, "I've heard Snape can turn very nasty."**

All the kids from other houses, besides Slytherin, nodded their heads in agreement.

**Alex moved to defend her brother, but Malfoy elbowed her and sneered. She glared back at him in response.**

**"What?" she snapped.**

**"I'm not letting you have points taken from our house again." Malfoy snarled.**

**Alex snorted. "Why should I care? Harry's my brother, and you... you lot mean nothing to me. I don't consider any of the Slytherins my friends, other than Daphne,**

Daphne smiled, and hurt crossed some of the Slytherins' features, but they had to remember that Alex was still a first year here. She didn't know any of them yet.

**and I don't bloody care if you torture me or give me the silent treatment. It's better than having my own flesh and blood hate my guts."**

Many didn't bother to hide their surprise. Sirius smiled proudly, and Remus shook his head fondly.

Harry and Ron exchanged a look; they needed to talk to her when this chapter was over.

**Malfoy looked at loss for a moment. "You really should have been in Gryffindor." he said patronizingly, and Alex remained silent after one last glare.**

**As they climbed the steps out of the dungeon an hour later, Harry's mind was racing and his spirits were low. He'd lost two points for Gryffindor in his very first week**

"Oh that's nothing," George said with a grin on his face.

"Excuse me?" Molly rounded on him.

"Nothing mum."

**—_why _did Snape hate him so much? He seemed to like Alex well enough.**

"Couldn't get over a childhood rivalry," Remus said shaking his head.

**But then again, Alex was a Slytherin. So why did he take a point from her as well? It was all really confusing.**

"That mystery remains unsolved."

**"Cheer up," said Ron, "Snape's always taking points off Fred and George. Can I come and meet Hagrid with you?"**

"Subtle Ronald," Hermione smiled.

**At five to three they left the castle and made their way across the grounds. Hagrid lived in a small wooden house on the edge of the forbidden forest. A crossbow and a pair of galoshes were outside the front door.**

**When Harry knocked they heard a frantic scrabbling from inside and several booming barks. Then Hagrid's voice rang out, saying, "_Back_, Fang —_back_."**

**Hagrid's big, hairy face appeared in the crack as he pulled the door open.**

**"Hang on," he said. "_Back_, Fang."**

**He let them in, struggling to keep a hold on the collar of an enormous black boarhound.**

**There was only one room inside. Hams and pheasants were hanging from the ceiling, a copper kettle was boiling on the open fire, and in the corner stood a massive bed with a patchwork quilt over it.**

**"Make yerselves at home," said Hagrid, letting go of Fang, who bounded straight at Ron and started licking his ears. Like Hagrid, Fang was clearly not as fierce as he looked.**

"It's the cute names you have to watch out for," Harry explained.

"And how would you know?" Molly asked.

"No reason," Harry said quickly,"Fred why don't you read some more?"

"Oh no Harry why don't we find out how you know," Ron smirked.

"Ronald by any chance would you have any idea what he's talking about?' Molly said shifting her gaze onto him.

"Er...Fred, get back to reading," Ron nervously.

**But both were surprised to see Alex already there. Alex could only stare at them warily. She had told Daphne that she was meeting Hagrid, but was afraid of what her brother would say since he was meeting him as well.**

**"You're a Slytherin; look down to no one." Daphne had told her. "If he picks a fight, don't back down easily just because he's your brother. You have your own rights to defend."**

"That's actually really good advice." said Malfoy.

**"This is Ron," Harry told Hagrid, who was pouring boiling water into a large teapot and putting rock cakes onto a plate.**

**"Another Weasley, eh?" said Hagrid, glancing at Ron's freckles.**

**"I spent half me life chasin' yer twin brothers away from the forest."**

"Excuse me?" Molly shrieked.

The rest of the Weasleys, sensing danger signaled for Fred to continue reading.

**The rock cakes were shapeless lumps with raisins that almost broke their teeth, but Harry, Alex and Ron pretended to be enjoying them as they told Hagrid all about their first lessons.**

Hagrid smiled sheepishly.

**Fang rested his head on Harry's knee and drooled all over his robes.**

"Eww." Parvarti wrinkled her nose.

**The twins and Ron were delighted to hear Hagrid call Filch "that old git."**

**"An' as fer that cat, Mrs. Norris, I'd like ter introduce her to Fang sometime. D'yeh know, every time I go up ter the school, she follows me everywhere? Can't get rid of her — Filch puts her up to it."**

**Harry told Hagrid about Snape's lesson. Hagrid, like Ron, told Harry not to worry about it, that Snape liked hardly any of the students.**

**"But he liked Alex. And he seemed to really _hate _me."**

**"Rubbish!" said Hagrid. "Why should he?"**

**Yet Harry couldn't help thinking that Hagrid didn't quite meet his eyes when he said that.**

"It just made it more obvious." said Neville.

**"Of course he likes Alex. She's a Slytherin." Ron suddenly spat, and Alex glared up at him half-heartily, silent. ****"What? Not going to defend your group of slimy snakes?"**

"RONALD WEASLEY!" Molly admonished, and many Slytherins stared daggers at him.

**"They're not _my _group, Ron..."**

**"Could've fooled me! I saw you all buddy-buddy with Malfoy...!"**

Both Alex and Malfoy gagged at this implication when people turned to stare at them.

**Alex crossed her arms angrily as they itched to reach for her wand. "I hate him just as much as you do! And in case you didn't notice, I _defended _my brother against Snape, even enough to have a point taken from my own bloody house...!"**

Ron shuddered. Alex was terrifying when she was angry.

Oliver glanced between them curiously. "How did you lot become friends? You seemed to really hate each other."

"Halloween." Was all Hermione said.

**Hagrid looked shocked. He probably thought that they were all still friends.**

Hagrid nodded.

**"Err...How's yer brother Charlie?" Hagrid asked Ron. "I liked him a lot — great with animals."**

"That was subtle." Astoria rolled her eyes.

**Harry wondered if Hagrid had changed the subject on purpose. While Ron finally calmed enough and told Hagrid all about Charlie's work with dragons, Alex ignored them all and picked up a piece of paper that was lying on the table under the tea cozy. It was a cutting from the _Daily Prophet_:**

**_GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATEST_**

**_Investigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on 31 July, widely believed to be the work of Dark wizards or witches unknown. Gringotts goblins today insisted that nothing had been taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day._**

**"_But we're not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if you know what's good for you," said a Gringotts spokesgoblin this afternoon._**

**Alex remembered Ron telling them on the train that someone had tried to rob Gringotts, but Ron hadn't mentioned the date.**

**"Hagrid!" said Alex, "that Gringotts break-in happened on our birthday! It might've been happening while we were there!**

"You're curiosity is going to kill you one day." Luna smiled.

**There was no doubt about it, Hagrid definitely didn't meet either twins' eyes this time. He grunted and offered them another rock cake. Harry snatched the paper from Alex and read it._The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied earlier that same day._Hagrid had emptied vault seven hundred and thirteen, if you could call it emptying, taking out that grubby little package. Had that been what the thieves were looking for?**

"Of course," McGonagall sighed. "But I have to compliment you both for your deduction skills."

**As the twins and Ron walked back to the castle for dinner, their pockets weighed down with rock cakes they'd been too polite to refuse, Harry thought that none of the lessons he'd had so far had given him as much to think about as tea with Hagrid. Had Hagrid collected that package just in time? Where was it now? And did Hagrid know something about Snape that he didn't want to tell the him?**

**"Harry, wait!" he heard Alex call behind him. Looking back at a scowling Ron, he told him to head back to the tower and that he'll catch up. Ron reluctantly agreed and eyes Alex in warning before he left.**

**Harry turned back to Alex. "What do you want?"**

**Alex, taken aback by her brother's sudden hostility, flinched. "I-I just wanted to talk."**

**"About what?"**

**"I... D-do you hate me, Harry?"**

Everyone leaned forward in anticipation, while Harry glanced at a teary Alex sullenly.

**Harry's eyebrows shot up in surprise, before his expression hardened. "You're a Slytherin." he said plainly.**

**"And you're a Gryffindor, so what?" Alex cried. "You're still my brother! I don't care about house rivalries!"**

**Harry's look softened and he sighed. "Alex, I don't know if I can trust you anymore."**

Theo stroked Alex's hair soothingly, Daphne holding her hand from across the table, and Blaise placing a hand on her shoulder.

Sirius and Remus were listening with wide eyes, Snape looked sullen, and there was an awkward atmosphere between the Slytherin and Gryffindor tables.

**Alex's eyes stung. Any other person, she wouldn't have cared. But this was Harry standing in front of her, this was her _twin _basically telling her he wanted nothing to do with her anymore, all because she was in their rival house.**

A few people were getting teary eyed - mostly the women, mind you. This was like watching some sort of soap opera.

**Without another word, Alex turned and ran inside the castle, skipping dinner and headed straight to the Slytherin common room. A few other students who were on their way to the Great Hall stared at her in surprise. A Slytherin? Crying? Must have been a shock for them.**

"It was." said a seventh year Hufflepuff.

**As she entered the common room, she sat on one of the high chairs, hugging her knees to her chest and continued to sob. Everyone else was at dinner, so she didn't have to worry about anyone patronizing her for being 'un-Slytherin' like.**

Harry frowned. He had made his sister cry. He was supposed to be the one to keep her safe, not the one to hurt her.

**"Are you all right?"**

**Alex looked up frantically and dried her eyes, expecting someone like Malfoy or his cronies to start making fun of her for crying,**

Even Malfoy had to wince.

**but instead she saw a dark-skinned boy with high cheekbones and long-slanting eyes.**

"Oi, how come the Slytherins get better descriptions?" Ron cried out incredulously, somewhat breaking the tension in the room.

"Because it's Alex making the decriptions." Hermione laughed.

"_OI!_" Harry cried, affronted.

**"I'm fine."**

**The boy stared at her doubtfully. "Then why are you crying?"**

**Alex sighed. "I had a row with my brother. He's in Gryffindor, you see..."**

**"You're Alexis Potter." It was a statement, not a question.**

Blaise laughed.

**"Yes." Alex eyed the boy warily.**

**"If your brother cannot value family over house rivalries, then he's not worth crying over." said the boy. "Then again, it is Gryffindor. They're known for their recklessness and stupidity."**

Insert indignant looks and raised eyebrows from the Gryffindors.

**"Is this some silly way of cheering me up?" Alex chipped in with a raised eyebrow.**

**"That depends, is it working?"**

**"Maybe."**

**"Then yes. Yes, it is." the boy laughed and sat next to her. "I'm Blaise Zabini."**

Malfoy shook his head, Daphne and Astoria were giggling, and Theo was giving them an odd look.

"So this is how you two became friends?" asked Malfoy, and Blaise nodded.

"Where was I when this was happening?" asked Theo.

"You were at dinner. Why? Jealous that I knew her first?" Blaise teased.

"_NO_!"

**"Nice to meet you, Blaise." Alex gave a curt nod. "Why aren't you at dinner?"**

**Blaise shrugged. "I had to finish a Transfiguration essay. Do you mind some company?"**

**Alex smiled widely. Perhaps she found a new friend?**

**"Not at all."**

"And that's the end of the chapter!" Fred announced and Harry, Ron and Hermione abruptly stood from the Gryffindor table.

Harry met Alex's eyes and he nodded. Alex sighed and motioned for Daphne to go with her, Blaise and Theo stood as well. Everyone else watched tentatively as the golden trio and the silver quartet met between their tables.

Umbridge glared at their backs, while Fudge and Percy were talking. This was supposed to be proving their lies, not turn into a pity party.

"Okay, what did you want to talk about?" asked Alex.

"We're sorry." Harry and Ron chorused, and Daphne swore she saw a vain pop in Alex's head.

Alex glared at them both. "I told you if you apologized I would pull a Hermione. Do you _want_ me to hex you?"

A few people in the Hall shuddered, and some laughed.

"Alex, please hear them out." Hermione reasoned, but Alex was quick to refuse.

"Mione, they have nothing to apologize for. I forgave them after the troll incident." Alex turned to her brother and his best friend. "You know that right? Actually, I was never mad to begin with!"

"I still say you're too forgiving." Blaise muttered, and Theo elbowed him.

"I'm still sorry." Ron shrugged. "I've been making wise-cracks about Snape and the Slytherins for the past 5 years."

"Okay that, I'm mad about. But I can always just aim a book at your head." Alex deadpanned and Hermione muttered something about 'book abuse'. Marcus smirked proudly with his former team.

Nevertheless, the two hugged, and Theo's hand twitched for his wand, much to Blaise and Daphne's amusement.

"So are we all okay now?" Daphne glanced between them as they let go.

The twins stared at each other.

"Alex," Harry began. "You have every right to be mad at me, you know. Zabini's right, you're too forgiving. I'm supposed to be the one protecting you, and I hurt you."

Alex sighed. "Harry, I'm not going to lie. I felt...betrayed. You had a choice to stay with me in Slytherin, but you chose Gryffindor. I respect your choice of house, and I expected you to at least respect mine. Not all Slytherins are bad, you know. Just like not all Gryffindors are good."

They snarled at the implication of Pettigrew.

"And honestly, you lot are bloody hypocrites." added Theo. "Judging someone by their house is just as bad as judging someone by their blood status. Why do you think Snape favours us? Because the rest of the Professors play favorite as well."

The other houses glanced at each other in surprise, and whispers erupted. They hadn't expected that. The Professors (bar Snape) looked at each other guiltily.

"Most of us only make a big deal out of blood status because of our parents. Yes Weasley, even Malfoy." said Daphne as Ron opened his mouth. Malfoy let out an indignant yell in the background.

"So can we put this behind us, for now at least?" she whispered.

The trio shared another look and nodded, earning a sigh of relief from the quartet and curious looks from the rest of the Hall.

"But you two better quit apologizing to me or I swear, it won't be pretty." Alex threatened, and Harry chuckled.

"That I can't promise. But it's great to have you back sis." Harry smiled and Alex rolled her eyes.

"Can't take back what you never lost bro."

The two hugged, Harry kissing Alex's forehead, earning 'awws' from the rest, Fred, George, Marcus, Blaise and Theo a bit mockingly.

"Hem, hem!" Everyone turned to a scowling Umbridge. Harry and Alex broke the hug and glared at the pink toad.

"Oi, this is a twin moment!" they yelled in chorus.

"Let us not make any more delays." Umbridge snapped at them. "BACK TO YOUR SEATS!"

The trio and the quartet moved with scowls on their faces, Umbridge sitting back down with a smug smile. Whispers echoed around the hall, most people glaring at Umbridge and staring at the two groups curiously.

"We've called a temporary truce with the Gryffindors!" Blaise announced, and more whispers erupted, and incredulous looks from both Gryffindor and Slytherin students. Some of the teachers smiled as Daphne, Blaise and Theo walked back to the Slytherin table and were bombarded with questions and protests from their fellow housemates.

"Never thought I'd see the day that Slytherins would call a truce." Ron shook his head. "But don't expect me to like it."

"Trust us, we don't." Blaise scoffed as he sat.

Alex hesitantly approached the Gryffindor table with Harry, Ron and Hermione, calculating each of their expressions just in case there were protests from the house. There were none, but they were still cautious.

Finally, she tackled Sirius in a hug with a huge smile on her face, much to the surprise of the other houses. "I missed you so much Padsie!"

Sirius laughed. "I missed you too, pup. And don't call me Padsie."

She approached her godfather as well and tackled him in a similar fashion, yelling out, "MOONY!"

Remus laughed and hugged her tightly. "Hello cub. I would sit with you, but I don't think Padfoot would appreciate it much if I ditched him."

"Aww, Moony! Padsie can fend for himself!"

There was a flash of recognition between the Weasley twins before they yelled out, "You're the Marauders?!" to Sirius and Remus. The teachers all groaned in unison as Fred and George got to their knees, repeatedly bowing as they chanted 'we are not worthy' over and over. Molly eventually shrieked at them to stop.

Alex returned to her stunned housemates with a challenging smirk at their expressions, daring one of them to argue. Malfoy thought twice after a stern look from Astoria.

Remus laughed as he trailed behind her and sat between her and Blaise.

Fred sat back down with George and happily shoved the book into Ron's hands as he sat, and Ron scowled. "Why do I have to read?"

* * *

**Hope you guys liked this chapter! Please review and tell me what you think!**

**~Cassandra**


	9. The Midnight Duel

**Guys, just a reminder here that the pairings are canon with the exception of Theo/OC with of course, a few side pairings but it won't last. Anyways, here's the next chapter for you lot!**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter; it all belongs to J.K Rowling and Warner Brothers Inc. However, I do own Alex.

**Pairings:** All are canon with the exception of my Theo/OC pairing.

* * *

No one listened to Ron whine, and Molly eventually told him to read. Ron, fearing his mother's temper, did as he was told.

"**The Midnight Duel**," Ron read, and the twins and Malfoy stiffened.

**Harry had never believed he would a boy he hated more than Dudley, but that was before he met Draco Malfoy.**

"Was I really that bad?" He groaned.

The twins nodded. "You weren't stupid, I'll give you that." commented Harry.

"Gee, thanks Potter."

**Still, first-year Gryffindors only had Potions with the Slytherins, so they didn't have to put up with Malfoy much. Or at least, they didn't until they spotted a notice pinned up in the Gryffindor common room that made them all groan. Flying lessons would be starting on Thursday —and Gryffindor and Slytherin would be learning together.**

"Why are the most dangerous classes with Gryffindor and Slytherin?" questioned Tonks.

"**Typical," said Harry darkly. "Just what I always wanted. To make a fool of myself on a broomstick in front of Malfoy."**

"You did anything but." George smirked.

**He had been looking forward to learning to fly more than anything else.**

"Defiantly James' son." McGonagall chuckled.

"**You don't know that you'll make a fool of yourself," said Ron reasonably. "Anyway, I know Malfoy's always going on about how good he is at Quidditch, but I bet that's all talk."**

"No he's pretty good." Alex commented, earning odd looks. "What? I can be nice!"

**Malfoy certainly did talk about flying a lot. He complained loudly about first years never getting on the house Quidditch teams and told long, boastful stories that always seemed to end with him narrowly escaping Muggles in helicopters.**

"Do you even know what a helicopter is?" Hermione asked skeptically.

"Err..."

"I thought so."

**He wasn't the only one, though: the way Seamus Finnigan told it, he'd spent most of his childhood zooming around the countryside on his broomstick.**

"True." Seamus commented.

**Even Ron would tell anyone who'd listen about the time he'd almost hit a hang glider on Charlie's old broom.**

All the Weasley kids snorted.

"YOU DID WHAT?" Molly screeched. Ron winced.l

**Everyone from wizarding families talked about Quidditch constantly. Ron had already had a big argument with Dean Thomas, who shared their dormitory, about soccer. Ron couldn't see what was exciting about a game with only one ball where no one was allowed to fly.**

"I don't like to watch it but it's fun to play." Harry commented.

**Harry had caught Ron prodding Dean's poster of West Ham soccer team, trying to make the players move.**

All muggle borns laughed and Ron went a brilliant red color.

**Neville had never been on a broomstick in his life, because his grandmother had never let him near one. Privately, Harry felt she'd had good reason, because Neville managed to have an extraordinary number of accidents even with both feet on the ground.**

"That's true." Neville nodded.

**Hermione Granger was almost as nervous about flying as Neville was. This was something you couldn't learn by heart out of a book — not that she hadn't tried.****At breakfast on Thursday she bored them all stupid with flying tips she'd gotten out of a library book called****_Quidditch Through the Ages_****.**

All the Quidditch fans cheered.

**Neville was hanging on to her every word, desperate for anything that might help him hang on to his broomstick later, but everybody else was very pleased when Hermione's lecture was interrupted by the arrival of the mail. Harry and Alex hadn't had a single letter since Hagrid's note, something that Malfoy had been quick to notice, of course.****Malfoy's eagle owl was always bringing him packages of sweets from home, which he opened gloatingly at the Slytherin table,**

A picture of James Potter briefly flashed in Snape's mind.

**much to Alex's annoyance since she sat right across from him. She had Pansy to blame for that one.**

"Really, Potter?" Pansy raised an eyebrow.

**A barn owl brought Neville a small package from his grandmother. He opened it excitedly and showed them a glass ball the size of a large marble, which seemed to be full of white smoke.**

"That sounds so cool." Someone muttered

"**It's a Remembrall!" he explained. "Gran knows I forget things — this tells you if there's something you've forgotten to do. Look, you hold it tight like this and if it turns red — oh…" His face fell, because the Remembrall had suddenly glowed scarlet, "…you've forgotten something…"**

"Pretty useless if you ask me" said Padma. "It doesn't tell you what you've forgotten."

**Neville was trying to remember what he'd forgotten when Draco Malfoy, who was passing the Gryffindor table, snatched the Remembrall out of his hand.****Harry and Ron jumped to their feet. They were half hoping for a reason to fight Malfoy, but Professor McGonagall, who could spot trouble quicker than any teacher in the school, was there in a flash.**

Sirius and Remus burst out laughing.

"I had to with these hooligans around." McGonagall gestured to the hysterical duo.

"**What's going on?"**

"**Malfoy's got my Remembrall, Professor."**

**Scowling, Malfoy quickly dropped the Remembrall back on the table.**"**Just looking," he said, and he sloped away with Crabbe and Goyle behind him.**

**At three-thirty that afternoon, Harry, Ron, and the other Gryffindors hurried down the front steps onto the grounds for their first flying lesson. It was a clear, breezy day, and the grass rippled under their feet as they marched down the sloping lawns toward a smooth, flat lawn on the opposite side of the grounds to the forbidden forest, whose trees were swaying darkly in the distance.**

"Perfect weather conditions to." Katie added.

"Like with Harry and Alex it would have mattered." Alicia grinned.

**The Slytherins were already there, and so were twenty broomsticks lying in neat lines on the ground. Harry had heard Fred and George Weasley complain about the school brooms, saying that some of them started to vibrate if you flew too high, or always flew slightly to the left.**

"They do." Alex scrunched her nose.

**"I don't really see the thrill in flying." said Daphne as she watched the Gryffindors assemble. "It's fun to watch, but doing it is a whole other thing."**

**Personally, Alex disagreed with this. She, like Harry, had been looking forward to fly, but didn't voice this out loud.**

"See? I can keep my mouth shut." Much to the disbelieving looks from her housemates and Snape.

**She noticed that most of the Slytherin girls were rather reluctant to get on the brooms.**_**Probably don't want to ruin their hair,**_**Alex internally mused,and cringed when an image of Pansy screeching like a banshee as she sported hair that was not unlike a birds' nest popped into her head.**

Some Slytherins and most Gryffindors began laughing hysterically as soon as the image popped into their heads. Pansy huffed angrily and glared at Alex.

**Their teacher, Madam Hooch, arrived. She had short, gray hair, and yellow eyes like a hawk.**

Madam Hooch smiled at her description.

"**Well, what are you all waiting for?" she barked. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up."****Harry glanced down at his broom. It was old and some of the twigs stuck out at odd angles.**

All the Quidditch players shuddered.

"**Stick out your right hand over your broom," called Madam Hooch at the front, "and say 'Up!'"**

"**UP" everyone shouted.****Harry and Alex's broom jumped into their hands at once,****but it was one of the few that did. Hermione Granger's had simply rolled over on the ground, and Neville's hadn't moved at all.**

**Perhaps brooms, like horses, could tell when you were afraid, thought Harry; there was a quaver in Neville's voice that said only too clearly that he wanted to keep his feet on the ground.**

"Like all magic it requires confidence." That was one of the sanest things Luna had ever said.

**Madam Hooch then showed them how to mount their brooms without sliding off the end, and walked up and down the rows correcting their grips. Harry and Ron were delighted when she told Malfoy he'd been doing it wrong for years.**

"The grip depends on the person." Harry and Draco said in unison and they turned to glare at each other.

Alex laughed. _Must be a seeker thing._

"**Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard," said Madam Hooch. "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle — three — two —"**

**But Neville, nervous and jumpy and frightened of being left on the ground, pushed off hard before the whistle had touched Madam Hooch's lips.**

"**Come back, boy!" she shouted, but Neville was rising straight up like a cork shot out of a bottle — twelve feet — twenty feet. The twins saw his scared white face look down at the ground falling away, saw him gasp, slip sideways off the broom and —****WHAM —****a thud and a nasty crack and Neville lay facedown on the grass in a heap.**

People winced in sympathy.

**His broomstick was still rising higher and higher, and started to drift lazily toward the forbidden forest and out of sight.****Madam Hooch was bending over Neville, her face as white as his.**

"**Broken wrist," They heard her mutter. "Come on, boy — it's all right, up you get."**

**She turned to the rest of the class.**"**None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch.' Come on, dear."**

"I had to eat my words." Madam Hooch sighed.

**Neville, his face tear-streaked, clutching his wrist, hobbled off with Madam Hooch, who had her arm around him.****No sooner were they out of earshot than Malfoy burst into laughter.**

Malfoy flinched under all the glares he received.

"**Did you see his face, the great lump?"**

**The other Slytherins joined in.**"**Shut up, Malfoy," snapped Parvati Patil.**

Neville sent her a thankful look.

"**Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom?" said Pansy, the hard-faced Slytherin girl. "Never thought****_you'd_********like fat little cry-babies, Parvati."**

"Didn't know you stuck up for snobby little ferrets, Parkinson." Ginny sneered.

"**Look!" said Malfoy, darting forward and snatching something out of the grass. "It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him."The Remembrall glittered in the sun as he held it up.**

"**Give that here, Malfoy," said Harry quietly. Everyone stopped talking to watch.****Malfoy smiled nastily.**

"**I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find — how about — up a tree?"**

"**Give it****_here_****!" Harry yelled, but Malfoy had leapt onto his broomstick and taken off. He hadn't been lying, he****_could_********fly well. Hovering level with the topmost branches of an oak he called, "Come and get it, Potter!"**

**Harry and Alex grabbed their brooms.**"**_No!"_********shouted Hermione Granger to Harry. "Madam Hooch told us not to move — you'll get us all into trouble." Harry****ignored her.**

"Like you normally do." She sighed.

**Blood was pounding in his ears. He mounted the broom and kicked hard against the ground and up, up he soared; air rushed through his hair, and his robes whipped out behind him — and in a rush of fierce joy he realized he'd found something he could do without being taught — this was easy, this was****_wonderful_****.**

"Like your farther, a natural."

**Alex had been pulled back by Pansy before she had the chance to kick off.**

**"What the hell, Parkinson?" she hissed.**

**"Stop trying to outstage Drakie!" shrieked Pansy.**

Malfoy shrunk at the laughs echoing in the hall, and Pansy just looked offended.

**Alex would have laughed if the situation at hand didn't involve her brother possibly falling off his broom and breaking every bone in his body.**

"Where's your faith, sister?" Harry shook his head mockingly.

Alex rolled her eyes with a snort. "It's on Mars, along with your brain, brother."

A few Slytherins were snickering, while a few Gryffindors guffawed.

**Harry pulled his broomstick up a little to take it even higher, and heard screams and gasps of girls back on the ground and an admiring whoop from Ron.**

"Thanks, that showed me I was doing it right." Harry smiled.

**He turned his broomstick sharply to face Malfoy in midair. Malfoy looked stunned.**

"Of course he was. It was your first time on a broom and you looked like you where training to go pro." Blaise explained.

"**Give it here," Harry called, "or I'll knock you off that broom!"**

"Nah, Alex did that for me." Harry laughed.

"**Oh, yeah?" said Malfoy, trying to sneer, but looking worried.**

**Harry knew, somehow, what to do. He leaned forward and grasped the broom tightly in both hands, and it shot toward Malfoy like a javelin. Malfoy only just got out of the way in time; Harry made a sharp about-face and held the broom steady. A few people below were clapping.**

"**No Crabbe and Goyle up here to save your neck, Malfoy," Harry called.****The same thought seemed to have struck Malfoy.**

"**Catch it if you can, then!" he shouted, and he threw the glass ball high into the air and streaked back toward the ground.****Harry saw, as though in slow motion, the ball rise up in the air and then start to fall.**

"Born seeker instincts." Oliver said proudly.

**He leaned forward and pointed his broom handle down — next second he was gathering speed in a steep dive, racing the ball — wind whistled in his ears, mingled with the screams of people watching — he stretched out his hand — a foot from the ground he caught it, just in time to pull his broom straight, and he hovered in the air.**

"Bloody hell Harry-"

"-a dive like that-"

"-On a school broom?" said Fred and George.

The older quidditch players who have yet to hear how Harry got into the team were all stunned. Oliver looked absolutely ecstatic.

Sirius gaped and Remus smiled.

**Harry raised himself a bit higher to where Malfoy was still floating, but was immediately bombarded by rocks and he dropped the rememberall. Malfoy took this as an opportunity and shot after it.**

**Wrenching herself from Pansy's grasp, Alex quickly mounted her broom again and kicked off. Malfoy caught the rememberall, but Harry couldn't get it back as he was still bombarded by rocks. Alex quickly flew in front of him, and caught one rock in hand before throwing it back at Crabbe and Goyle, hitting Crabbe square in the chest and he stumbled. She then swerved the broom, using it like a bat to hit back a rock, knocking Malfoy painfully on his forehead.**

"How can you have that much accuracy?" asked Malfoy,rubbing the spot where the rock had hit him.

**Malfoy yelped in surprise and leaned backwards, right off his broom. Alex shot after him and caught him as he was about to hit the ground, both of them toppling down on the grass.**

"You knock him off his broom, then you save his life. How does that work?" Alicia Spinnet shook her head.

The Slytherin quidditch team listened to it all, shocked.

**Harry touched down after them. His fellow Gryffindors cheered, while the Slytheris, minus Daphne and Blaise who were grinning, were glaring at Alex as she picked herself off the ground.**

"Well, we regret it now." said Millicent.

"**HARRY POTTER! ALEXIS POTTER!"**

**Their hearts sank faster than they'd just dived. Professor McGonagall was running toward them. He got to his feet, trembling.**

"**_Never_******— **in all my time at Hogwarts —" Professor McGonagall was almost speechless with shock, and her glasses flashed furiously,**

"— **how****_dare_********you — might have broken your necks —"**

"**It wasn't their fault, Professor —"**

"**Be quiet, Miss Patil —"**

"**But Malfoy —"**

"**That's****_enough_****, Mr. Weasley. Potters, follow me, now."**

"We where worried when you wouldn't listen."

**Alex caught sight of Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle's triumphant faces as they left. The nerve of that git; she wondered what would have happened if she just let him fall.**

"Why didn't you?" Fred and George whined.

"I'm actually glad you didn't." Malfoy paled.

**Alex tossed the rememberall to Ron, who hastily caught it. "Make sure to give it to Longbottom." He glared at her but nodded anyway.**

**They walked numbly in Professor McGonagall's wake as she strode toward the castle. They were going to be expelled, she just knew it.**

"Nice to know Harry isn't the only pessimist." Hermione snickered.

Alex leaned on Theo's shoulder. "You can't blame me, you know.

**Harry wanted to say something to defend himself and his sister, but there seemed to be something wrong with his voice. Professor McGonagall was sweeping along without even looking at them; they had to jog to keep up. Now they've done it. They hadn't even lasted two weeks. They'd be packing their bags in ten minutes. What would the Dursleys say when they turned up on the doorstep?**

"Get in your room and stay there and never come out or they'd ignore all knowledge of our existences." Harry deadpanned.

People looked at him, concerned, while Umbridge fumed in her seat.

**Up the front steps, up the marble staircase inside, and still Professor McGonagall didn't say a word to him. She wrenched open doors and marched along corridors with Harry and Alex trotting miserably behind her. Maybe she was taking them to Dumbledore. The twins thought of Hagrid, expelled but allowed to stay on as gamekeeper. Perhaps they could be Hagrid's assistant. Their stomachs twisted as they imagined it, watching Ron and the others becoming wizards and witches, while they stumped around the grounds carrying Hagrid's bag.**

**Professor McGonagall first stopped outside Snape's classroom. She knocked, and Snape answered, glaring.**

**"To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit, Minerva?"**

**"A word, if you please, Severus."**

**Snape stood aside, allowing them entrance. Professor McGonagall told Harry to wait outside the classroom as she ushered Alex in. Harry, despite everything between them, sent his sister a worried glance as the door closed.**

"I thought she was going to get beaten." Harry admitted sheepishly, much to McGonagall and Snape's outrage, and surprise from the rest of the Hall.

Snape and McGonagall glared at Dumbledore, who was conveniently looking at the ceiling.

**"Now what is all this about Minerva?"**

**Alex closed her eyes and clenched her fists. This was it; she was going to be expelled.**

"I apologize for making you worry, Miss Potter." said McGonagall.

**"Severus, I do believe I found you an excellent chaser." Professor McGonagall gestured to Alex, who stood stunned, her eyes snapped open and stared at them wide-eyed.**

**Snape raised an eyebrow in doubt. "Really, Minerva?"**

**"The girl had exceptional accuracy, and very impulsive on a broom. I do believe she managed to knock Mr. Malfoy off his broom before catching him at a thirty-foot dive."**

Alex blinked. Had she really?

"Yes you did, Potter." piped Malfoy upon seeing the disbelieving look on Alex's face.

**Snape nodded and stared at Alex calculatingly. The eleven year-old girl tried not to flinch. "I shall speak to Mr. Flint about this."**

**Flint? The older Slytherin who lead them to their dorms on the first day? Alex wondered what they needed to speak with him for.**

"Well, you remembered me. I'm surprised." Marcus chuckled.

**Professor McGonagall left with Harry and stopped yet at another classroom. She opened the door and poked her head inside.**

"**Excuse me, Professor Flitwick, could I borrow Wood for a moment?"**

**Wood? thought Harry, bewildered; was Wood a cane she was going to use on them?**

"I would_NEVER_ Potter." said McGonaggal, outraged.

**But Wood turned out to be a person, a burly fifth-year boy who came out of Flitwick's class looking confused.**"**Follow me, you two," said Professor McGonagall, and they marched on up the corridor, Wood looking curiously at Harry.**

"**In here."****Professor McGonagall pointed them into a classroom that was empty except for Peeves, who was busy writing rude words on the blackboard.**

"Lily's fault from when she use to shout at us." Remus defended raising his arms in the air at Molly's look.

"**Out, Peeves!" she barked. Peeves threw the chalk into a bin, which clanged loudly, and he swooped out cursing.**

People gave her impressed looks.

**Professor McGonagall slammed the door behind him and turned to face the two boys.**

"**Potter, this is Oliver Wood. Wood — I've found you a Seeker."****Wood's expression changed from puzzlement to delight.**

The Quidditch team laughed, Oliver included. Many people from other houses rolled their eyes; they knew how much Oliver was obsessed with Quidditch.

"**Are you serious, Professor?"**

"No, that would be me." Sirius said cheekily. The Weasley kids (bar Percy), the twins and Remus groaned.

"Sirius, that joke got old months." said Harry.

"**Absolutely," said Professor McGonagall crisply. "The boy is a natural. I've never seen anything like it. Was that your first time on a broomstick, Potter?"**

**Harry nodded silently. He didn't have a clue what was going on, but he didn't seem to be being expelled, and some of the feeling started coming back to his legs. He couldn't help but wonder how Alex was doing.**

"Aww!" Ginny cooed, and Harry flushed.

"**The boy caught that thing in his hand after a fifty-foot dive," Professor McGonagall told Wood. "Didn't even scratch himself. Charlie Weasley couldn't have done it."**

"Don't tell Charlie that." laughed George.

**Wood was now looking as though all his dreams had come true at once.**

More laughs when Oliver shook his head.

"I really was impressed, you know." he told Harry.

"**Ever seen a game of Quidditch, Potter?" he asked excitedly.**

"**Wood's captain of the Gryffindor team," Professor McGonagall explained.**

"**He's just the build for a Seeker, too," said Wood, now walking around Harry and staring at him. "Light —speedy — we'll have to get him a decent broom, Professor a Nimbus Two Thousand or a Cleansweep Seven, I'd say."**

"The Nimbus." Most of the Gryffindors and Slytherins chorused at once.

**"I shall speak to Professor Dumbledore and see if we can't bend the first-year rule. Heaven knows, we need a better team than last year._Flattened_********in that last match by Slytherin, I couldn't look Severus Snape in the face for weeks…"**

"Not that you'd want to." The Weasley twins sniggered, but stopped when Alex glared at them both.

**Professor McGonagall peered sternly over her glasses at Harry.**

"**I want to hear you're training hard, Potter, or I may change my mind about punishing you."**

**Then she suddenly smiled.**

"**Your father would have been proud," she said. "He was an excellent Quidditch player himself."**

Harry and Alex smiled.

**Meanwhile, Snape called Flint into his office. The boy was surprised seeing Alex already there.**

**"Flint, I believe I've found you a Chaser to replace Mr. Shabes."**

**Flint's expression was caught between outrage and confusion. Alex winced once he set his harsh gaze on her.**

**"Professor, she's a first year!" he protested, and Alex's shoulders practically sagged in disappointment.**

"Not everyday a first year girl is asked to join the Slytherin quidditch team, you know." he defended, and people nodded in understanding.

**"But from what I hear, Miss Potter managed to knock Mr. Malfoy off his broom and caught him at a thirty-foot dive." said Snape doubtfully.**

"Why do you keep mentioning that?" Malfoy snapped.

"Welcome to my world." Ron deadpanned.

**"I guess we can give her a shot." Flint relented. "Quidditch season starts soon, so we start training next week. We'll see how good you actually are."**

**Even if it was meant to be an insult, Alex couldn't help but feel relieved.**

**"You're****_joking_****."**

**It was dinnertime. Harry had just finished telling Ron what had happened when he'd left the grounds with Professor McGonagall. Ron had a piece of steak and kidney pie halfway to his mouth, but he'd forgotten all about it.**

"You made Ron forget about food." All the Weasley's present stared in shock.

"**_Seeker_****?" he said. "But first years****_never_******— **you must be the youngest house player in about —"**

" — **a century," said Harry, shovelling pie into his mouth. He felt particularly hungry after the excitement of the afternoon. "Wood told us."**

"James would be proud." Sirius smiled.

**Ron was so amazed, so impressed, he just sat and gaped at the twins.**

"**We start training next week," said Harry. "Only don't tell anyone, Wood wants to keep it a secret."**

People laughed, that hadn't lasted for long.

**"I wonder - do you think Alex made it into the house team too?" Harry suddenly asked, and Ron suddenly snapped out of his stupor.**

More snorts and laughs at Ron's expense.

**"What? No bloody way!**

Alex raised an eyebrow, and Marcus, Malfoy, Graham Montague, Adrian Pucey, Miles Bletchely, Crabbe and Goyle stared at the red-headed Gryffindor with a smirk.

Ginny laughed. "Ron just ate his words."

**There hasn't been any girl on the Slytherin Quidditch team. I doubt they'd let her in. Besides, she wasn't even that good - not good as your catch anyway."**

"Excuse me?" Alex huffed, affronted.

"I take back everything I said!" Ron added hastily as Blaise and Theo turned to him. They may have called a truce, but that didn't mean they couldn't give warnings.

**Fred and George Weasley now came into the hall, spotted Harry, and hurried over.**

"**Well done," said George in a low voice. "Wood told us. We're on the team too — Beaters."**

"Ironic that we have a pair of human bludgers as Beaters." Katie said amused and the rest of the team snorted.

"**I tell you, we're going to win that Quidditch cup for sure this year,"**

Harry looked down and Alex scratched the back of her neck nervously as she eyed her housemates.

"We don't blame you Harry." said Angelina.

Katie nodded. "Merlin's sake, you were both in the hospital wing!"

"The only reason Slytherin won was because they had a reserve chaser." Oliver shook his head at his own daftness.

**said Fred. "We haven't won since Charlie left, but this year's team is going to be brilliant. You must be good, Harry, Wood was almost skipping when he told us."**

The Gryffindor team, when Oliver had been captain laughed.

"He actually was skipping when he told us." said Fred.

"**Anyway, we've got to go, Lee Jordan reckons he's found a new secret passageway out of the school."**

Filch's face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"**Bet it's that one behind the statue of - - - that we found in our first week. See you."**

"I don't think such things should be revealed as without the books we wouldn't know about them." Dumbledore explained.

Umbridge fumed, and the Weasleys, Hermione, Sirius, Remus and the twins sighed in relief.

**Fred and George had hardly disappeared when someone far less welcome turned up: Malfoy, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle.**

"**Having a last meal, Potter? When are you getting the train back to the Muggles?"**

"**You're a lot braver now that you're back on the ground and you've got your little friends****with you," said Harry coolly.**

**There was of course nothing at all little about Crabbe and Goyle, but as the High Table was full of teachers, neither of them could do more than crack their knuckles and scowl.**

"I'm surprised they realised that." Lee chortled, and Malfoy scowled.

"**I'd take you on anytime on my own," said Malfoy. "Tonight, if you want. Wizard's duel. Wands only — no contact. What's the matter? Never heard of a wizard's duel before, I suppose?"**

"**Of course he has," said Ron, wheeling around. "I'm his second, who's yours?"**

Ron cowered from his mothers glare.

**Malfoy looked at Crabbe and Goyle, sizing them up.**

"**Crabbe," he said. "Midnight all right? We'll meet you in the trophy room; that's always unlocked."**

**Before Malfoy could make another insult, Alex, and a reluctant Daphne, strode over to them with a glare. "Leave them alone, Malfoy. Don't you have someone else to annoy?"**

"He annoys a lot of people." Astoria nodded.

**"I'm looking at her." Malfoy sneered, "But you're not worth my time. You'd think that being in Slytherin meant something."**

**Alex rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Just do me a favor and stay away from them. It's the least you can do for me after saving your arse."**

"The best target for a boy is always his ego." Remus mused.

**Alex cast Ron and Harry a quick glance and headed out the Hall with Daphne.**

**"Why didn't you tell them about being in the house team?" Daphne asked in a whisper.**

**"I doubt they would care.**

"Of course we would have!" Harry piped. "Even if Ron would be pissed."

**Plus, I don't want Malfoy finding out and have me kicked off the team before I could have a chance to play."**

"He would have done just that." Blaise mused.

**When Malfoy had gone, in a worse mood than he was already in,****Harry and Ron looked at each other.**

**"You have an odd sister, mate." Ron commented, to which Harry shrugged at.**

"**What is a wizard's duel?" said Harry. "And what do you mean, you're my second?"**

"**A second's there to take over if you die," said Ron casually, getting started at last on his cold pie. Catching the look on Harry's face, he added quickly, "But people only die in proper duels, you know, with real wizards. The most you and Malfoy'll be able to do is send sparks at each other. Neither of you knows enough magic to do any real damage. I bet he expected you to refuse, anyway."**

"I actually did." Malfoy nodded.

"**And what if I wave my wand and nothing happens?" said Harry.**

"**Throw it away and punch him on the nose," Ron suggested.**

Alex snorted. "Hermione had that favor in third year."

The trio and quartet laughed, much to the confusion of those who didn't know what happened.

"And he said no contact, remember?" Theo added.

"**Excuse me."**

**They both looked up. It was Hermione Granger.**

"**Can't a person eat in peace in this place?" said Ron.**

**Hermione ignored him and spoke to Harry.**"**I couldn't help overhearing what you and Malfoy were saying —"**

"**Bet you could," Ron muttered.**

"Ronald Weasley!" Molly screeched.

"— **and you****_mustn't_********go wandering around the school at night, think of the points you'll lose Gryffindor if you're caught, and you're bound to be. It's really very selfish of you."**

"**And it's really none of your business," said Harry.**

"**Good-bye," said Ron.**

**All the same, it wasn't what you'd call the perfect end to the day, Harry thought, as he lay awake much later listening to Dean and Seamus falling asleep (Neville wasn't back from the hospital wing). Ron had spent all evening giving him advice such as possible.**

"**If he tries to curse you, you'd better dodge it, because I can't remember how to block them."**

"That's good advice then your not wasting energy on creating a shield and not all spells can be block." Remus lectured.

"But you'd be wasting energy on dodging. It'll tire you out." Tonks retorted.

**There was a very good chance they were going to get caught by Filch or Mrs. Norris, and Harry felt he was pushing his luck, breaking another school rule today. On the other hand, Malfoy's sneering face kept looming up out of the darkness — this was his big chance to beat Malfoy face-to-face. He couldn't miss it.**

"Glad I'm so important."

"**Half-past eleven," Ron muttered at last, "we'd better go."**

**They pulled on their bathrobes, picked up their wands, and crept across the tower room, down the spiral staircase, and into the Gryffindor common room. A few embers were still glowing in the fireplace, turning all the armchairs into hunched black shadows. They had almost reached the portrait hole when a voice spoke from the chair nearest them, "I can't believe you're going to do this."**

**A lamp flickered on. It was Hermione Granger, wearing a pink bathrobe and a frown.**

"**_You!_****" said Ron furiously. "Go back to bed!"**

"**I almost told your brother," Hermione snapped, "Percy — he's a prefect, he'd put a stop to this."**

Fred and George snorted, "Like he could." and Percy glared at them.

**Harry couldn't believe anyone could be so interfering.**

"We're sorry!"

"Really, if I had a galleon for every time an apology was said, I'd be rich." Angelina laughed.

"**Come on," he said to Ron. He pushed open the portrait of the Fat Lady and climbed through the hole.**

**Hermione wasn't going to give up that easily. She followed Ron through the portrait hole, hissing at them like an angry goose.**

Some people snorted while Hermione looked indignant.

"**Don't you****_care_********about Gryffindor, do you****_only_********care about yourselves,****_I_********don't want Slytherin to win the house cup,**

"Sor - "

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, Granger."

**and you'll lose all the points I got from Professor McGonagall for knowing about Switching Spells."**

"**Go away."**

"**All right, but I warned you, you just remember what I said when you're on the train home tomorrow, you're so —"**

**But what they were, they didn't find out. Hermione had turned to the portrait of the Fat Lady to get back inside and found herself facing an empty painting. The Fat Lady had gone on a nighttime visit and Hermione was locked out of Gryffindor tower.**

"So many detentions could have been avoided." the twins, Lee, Sirius and Remus sighed.

"**Now what am I going to do?" she asked shrilly.**

"**That's your problem," said Ron. "We've got to go, we're going to be late."**

**They hadn't even reached the end of the corridor when Hermione caught up with them.**

"**I'm coming with you," she said.**

"**You are****_not_****."**

"**D'you think I'm going to stand out here and wait for Filch to catch me? If he finds all three of us I'll tell him the truth, that I was trying to stop you, and you can back me up."**

"It's not like he would listen, you know. He'd put all of you in detention anyway." Alex pointed out.

"**You've got some nerve —" said Ron loudly.**

"**Shut up, both of you!" said Harry sharply. "I heard something."**

**It was a sort of snuffling.**

"**Mrs. Norris?" breathed Ron, squinting through the dark.**

**It wasn't Mrs. Norris. It was Neville. He was curled up on the floor, fast asleep, but jerked suddenly awake as they crept nearer.**

"**Thank goodness you found me! I've been out here for hours, I couldn't remember the new password to get in to bed."**

"That's why the rememberall turned red." Cho realised.

"**Keep your voice down, Neville. The password's 'Pig snout' but it won't help you now, the Fat Lady's gone off somewhere.****How's your arm?" said Harry.**

"So caring." Molly smiled.

"**Fine," said Neville, showing them. "Madam Pomfrey mended it in about a minute."**

"**Good — well, look, Neville, we've got to be somewhere, we'll see you later —"**

"**Don't leave me!" said Neville, scrambling to his feet, "I don't want to stay here alone, the Bloody Baron's been past twice already."**

Many shuddered.

**Ron looked at his watch and then glared furiously at Hermione and Neville.**

"**If either of you get us caught, I'll never rest until I've learned that Curse of the Bogies Quirrell told us about, and used it on you."**

**Hermione opened her mouth, perhaps to tell Ron exactly how to use the Curse of the Bogies,**

"How did you know me so well?" the twins just shrugged.

**but Harry hissed at her to be quiet and beckoned them all forward.**

**In the Slytherin common room, Alex sat on one of the leather couches, her legs crossed and her eyes trained on the Potions text on her lap. She looked up from her Potions book as Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle exited the boy's dormitories in their pyjamas, but made no move to leave the common room. Instead, Crabbe and Goyle settled themselves in the black leather couch across from her, while Malfoy sat next to her.**

**"Hello Potter." Malfoy greeted her with a smirk, which only made her more suspicious.**

"Do I always need a motive to say hello?" Malfoy raised an eyebrow.

"Knowing you? I'd have to say yes." Alex smirked, and Theo chuckled as he nuzzled his face on the crook of her neck.

"I'm wounded, Potter."

"Shame it's only a figure of speech Malfoy."

**"What did you do?" Alex asked tentatively upon seeing the somewhat smug look on Malfoy's face. "Rather, what have you done to my brother this time?"**

**"Challenged him to a duel and set Filch on him." Crabbe answered her with the same self-satisfaction.**

**Alex's blood ran cold, hoping she had misheard him, but seeing their smirking faces told her otherwise. Malfoy did WHAT?**

"Oooh, she's mad!" Lee said gleefully as many Gryffindors listened attentively in their seats.

**Alex set aside her Potions book, and roughly gripped Malfoy's collar, her glare set on him as she brought his face close to hers -**

"Ew! It sounds like you two are going to snog!" squealed Parvarti. There was gagging and looks of disbelief around the hall, staring between Alex and Malfoy, who both paled and gagged at the thought.

Theo glared at Malfoy, then at Ron. "Keep reading Weasley!"

**until they were nose to nose. Malfoy shrunk as Alex's emerald eyes blazed in anger.**

The Gryffindors were howling with laughter.

**"Malfoy, you better tell me. House rules be damned, if**_**anything**_**happens to Harry, I'm going to kill you slowly and painfully." Alex hissed lowly.**

"Any other circumstances, that would have been bloody hot." Malfoy commented off-handedly, and Alex stared at him with wide eyes.

"You better be joking." she said.

"Actually, I agree with him there." said Theo and Blaise nodded as well.

Remus coughed, and Blaise scooted away from him a bit as Remus gave him, Theo and Malfoy warning looks.

Harry and Ron were glaring at Malfoy, and Hermione and Ginny looked amused.

**"We're supposed to meet at the trophy room at midnight." Malfoy admitted fearfully. Releasing her hold on his shirt, Alex stalked out the common room, narrowly avoiding Percy Weasley as he passed.**

Percy blinked. She had been there?

**Harry, Ron, Hermioen and Neville flitted along corridors striped with bars of moonlight from the high windows.**

"Sounds so nice."

**At every turn Harry expected to run into Filch or Mrs. Norris, but they were lucky. They sped up a staircase to the third floor and tiptoed toward the trophy room.**

**Malfoy and Crabbe weren't there yet.**

**The crystal trophy cases glimmered where the moonlight caught them. Cups, shields, plates, and statues winked silver and gold in the darkness.**

"That sounds creepy." Colin shivered.

**They edged along the walls, keeping their eyes on the doors at either end of the room. Harry took out his wand in case Malfoy leapt in and started at once.**

Many nodded in approval.

**The minutes crept by.**

"**He's late, maybe he's chickened out," Ron whispered.**

**"Or he's not coming." someone whispered behind them, and they all wheeled around in surprise.****Alex stood there in a white shirt and grey pajama bottoms beneath her unfastened green bathrobe, her wand drawn in case they decided to hex her.**

"Well, you both have the makings of an auror." Tonks said approvingly.

**"What are you doing here?" Ron snapped, and Alex rolled her eyes in turn.**

**"Saving you from getting detention! Malfoy set this whole thing up, and you were both idiots to actually believe him!" Alex stared at her brother, slightly hurt at his blatant weariness of her presence.**

**"How do we know that**_**you're**_**not trying to set up up?" Ron retorted, and Alex's hurt expression shifted to anger in a millisecond.**

**"Are you daft, Ron Weasley?**

"Is that a trick question?" quipped George, and the Weasley kids (bar Percy and Ron) snickered.

**Do you actually think I would get my own**_**twin brother**_**in trouble?" A Slytherin-like sneer on her face.****Then a noise in the next room made them jump. Harry had only just raised his wand when they heard someone speak — and it wasn't Malfoy.**

"**Sniff around, my sweet, they might be lurking in a corner."**

"RUN!" Fred, George and Lee screamed, jumping out of their seats and began running around the hall like lunatics. The Hall burst into uncontrollable laughter. Finally, Umbridge stood, her face nearly as red as the Weasleys' hair.

"That is ENOUGH!" she shrieked, and Remus winced.

**It was Filch speaking to Mrs. Norris. Alex cursed Malfoy under her breath. Horror-struck, Harry waved madly at the other four to follow him as quickly as possible; they scurried silently toward the door, away from Filch's voice. Neville's robes had barely whipped round the corner when they heard Filch enter the trophy room.**

"**They're in here somewhere," they heard him mutter, "probably hiding."**

"**This way!" Harry mouthed to the others and, petrified;**

Hermione and all the others who where attacked shivered remembering the big yellow eyes.

**they began to creep down a long gallery full of suits of armour. They could hear Filch getting nearer. Neville suddenly let out a frightened squeak and broke into a run he tripped, grabbed Ron around the waist, and the pair of them toppled right into a suit of armour.**

The majorette of people winced.

**The clanging and crashing were enough to wake the whole castle.**

"**RUN!" Harry yelled, and the four of them sprinted down the gallery, not looking back to see whether Filch was following — they swung around the doorpost and galloped down one****corridor then another, the twins in the lead,**

"Of course, we could barely bloody keep up." Ron mutters and Neville and Hermione nod in agreement.

**without any idea where they were or where they were going — they ripped through a tapestry and found themselves in a hidden passageway, hurtled along it and came out near their Charms classroom, which they knew was miles from the trophy room.**

"You can run." Lee commented.

Alex smiled sarcastically. "Years of endurance."

"You can thank Dudley." Harry added sardonically.

"**I think we've lost him," Alex panted, leaning against the cold wall and brushing her hair out of her sweaty face. Neville was bent double, wheezing and spluttering.**

"**I —_told_******— **you," Hermione gasped, clutching at the stitch in her chest, "I — told — you."**

**Alex looked about ready to hex them all senseless.**

"Not the time." Fred started.

George grinned. "For _I told you so'_s"

"**We've got to get back to Gryffindor tower," said Ron, "quickly as possible."**

**"Alex was right; Malfoy tricked you," Hermione said to Harry. "You realize that, don't you? He was never going to meet you — Filch knew someone was going to be in the trophy room, Malfoy must have tipped him off."**

**"He did." Alex piped with a glare at Harry and Ron. "I threatened my own housemate and would likely pay for it later, snuck out of my own common room to warn you lot and nearly get caught by Percy, and get brushed off. I ought to slap you both."**

Hermione snorted.

"We were too worried to hear the threaten Malfoy part." Ron spoke sheepishly. "The sight must have been hilarious."

"It was." Goyle nodded, and everyone stared at him in surprise. "What?"

"**Let's go." said Harry.**

**It wasn't going to be that simple. They hadn't gone more than a dozen paces when a doorknob rattled and something came shooting out of a classroom in front of them.**

**It was Peeves. He caught sight of them and gave a squeal of delight.**

"**Shut up, Peeves — please — you'll get us thrown out."**

**Peeves cackled.**

"**Wandering around at midnight, Ickle Firsties? Tut, tut, tut. Naughty, naughty, you'll get caughty."**

"**Not if you don't give us away, Peeves, please."**

"Not going to help."

"**Should tell Filch, I should," said Peeves in a saintly voice, but his eyes glittered wickedly. "It's for your own good, you know."**

"**Get out of the way," snapped Ron, taking a swipe at Peeves this was a big mistake.**

"RON!" A lot of people groaned.

Alex and Hermione laughed.

"It's funny how you're reading about your own stupidity."

"**STUDENTS OUT OF BED!" Peeves bellowed, "STUDENTS OUT OF BED DOWN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR!"**

**Ducking under Peeves, they ran for their lives, right to the end of the corridor where they slammed into a door — and it was locked.**

"**This is it!" Ron moaned, as they pushed helplessly at the door, "We're done for! This is the end!"**

"Drama Queen." Daphne snorted good naturedly.

**They could hear footsteps, Filch running as fast as he could toward Peeves' shouts.**

"**Oh, move over," Hermione snarled. She grabbed Alex's wand, tapped the lock, and whispered, "_Alohomora!_" The lock clicked and the door swung open**

Fred, George, Remus, Sirius and Percy gaped at her.

"B-but...how?" Percy spluttered. "A first year, with someone else's wand , no less!"

— **they piled through it, shut it quickly, and pressed their ears against it, listening.**

"**Which way did they go, Peeves?" Filch was saying. "Quick, tell me."**

"**Say 'please.'"**

"**Don't mess with me, Peeves, now****_where did they go_****?"**

"**Shan't say nothing if you don't say please," said Peeves in his annoying singsong voice.**

"He won't say anything." Sirius grinned.

"**All right —_please_."**

"**NOTHING! Ha haaa! Told you I wouldn't say nothing if you didn't say please! Ha ha! Haaaaaa!" And they heard the sound of Peeves whooshing away and Filch cursing in rage.**

A few people laughed, many sighed in relief.

"**He thinks this door is locked," Harry whispered. "I think we'll be okay — get****_off_****, Neville!" For Neville had been tugging on the sleeve of Harry's bathrobe for the last minute. "_What_?"**

Where they were dawned on a few peoples faces.

**Alex turned around — and saw, quite clearly, what. For a moment, she was sure she'd walked into a nightmare — this was too much, on top of everything that had happened so far.**

**They weren't in a room, as she had supposed. They were in a corridor. The forbidden corridor on the third floor. And now they knew why it was forbidden. They were looking straight into the eyes of a monstrous dog, a dog that filled the whole space between ceiling and floor. It had three heads. Three pairs of rolling, mad eyes; three noses, twitching and quivering in their direction; three drooling mouths, saliva hanging in slippery ropes from yellowish fangs.**

"A Cerberus? In a school?" Molly gasped.

Ginny held Harry's hand tightly; Alex caught the motion and smirked.

**It was standing quite still, all six eyes staring at them, and Harry knew that the only reason they weren't already dead was that their sudden appearance had taken it by surprise, but it was quickly getting over that, there was no mistaking what those thunderous growls meant.**

**Harry groped for the doorknob — between Filch and death, he'd take Filch.**

"Good." Most people chorused.

**They fell backward — Alex slammed the door shut, and they ran, they almost flew, back down the corridor. Filch must have hurried off to look for them somewhere else, because they didn't see him anywhere, but they hardly cared — all they wanted to do was put as much space as possible between them and that monster. In the midst of their panic, Alex separated from the group and headed for the dungeons. Thankfully, no prefects or Professors were in sight.**

**Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville didn't stop running until they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady on the seventh floor.**

"**Where on earth have you all been?" she asked, looking at their bathrobes hanging off their shoulders and their flushed, sweaty faces.**

"**Never mind that — pig snout, pig snout," panted Harry, and the portrait swung forward. They scrambled into the common room and collapsed, trembling, into armchairs.**

"Nicely done." Blaise smirked.

**It was a while before any of them said anything. Neville, indeed, looked as if he'd never speak again.**

"I didn't think I would." He laughed.

"**What do they think they're doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school?" said Ron finally. "If any dog needs exercise, that one does."**

Almost everyone laughed.

**Hermione had got both her breath and her bad temper back again. "You don't use your eyes, any of you, do you?" she snapped. "Didn't you see what it was standing on?"**

"I was to scared to look at it's head."

"**The floor?" Harry suggested.**

"**No,****_not_********the floor. It was standing on a trapdoor. It's obviously guarding something."**

**She stood up, glaring at them.**

"**I hope you're pleased with yourselves. We could all have been killed — or worse, expelled.**

"You really needed to get you're priorities straight, Mione."

**Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to bed."**

**Ron stared after her, his mouth open.**

"**No, we don't mind," he said. "You'd think we dragged her along, wouldn't you. And how do you suppose Alex slipped away without us noticing?"**

People laughed again.

**Harry had hardly remembered that Alex was in Slytherin, therefore hadn't gone into the common room with them. He supposed that she slipped away while they were running towards Gryffindor tower.**

"You know me so well."

**But Hermione had given Harry something else to think about as he climbed back into bed.**

**The dog was guarding something…What had Hagrid said? Gringotts was the safest place in the world for something you wanted to hide — except perhaps Hogwarts.**

"To smart for your own good." Professor Sprout breathed.

**It looked as though Harry had found out where the grubby little package from vault seven hundred and thirteen was.**

**Alex stopped at the entrance of the Slytherin common room.**

**"Salazar." she breathed out between pants. No one was in the common room; she assumed Malfoy and his cronies had grown bored and went straight to bed. She dragged herself back to the dorm with shaky legs, tossed her bathrobe aside as she plopped herself on her bed.**

**Wiping the sweat off her forehead, Alex let out a deep breath. "I'm going to murder that blonde git."**

More laughter.

"You didn't actually do it, you know." Daphne shook her head. "Shame really."

"Well, now I know why you've been glaring at Draco that next morning." Blaise laughed, along with Theo and Marcus.

"That was the end of the chapter." Ron said.

"Right." Dumbledore drew their attention. "After the next chapter, we shall get settled for bed. The reading shall be continued at dinner tomorrow." At his nod, Ron handed the book to Ginny.

Ginny blinked in surprise but took the book anyway. "Well, this chapter should be interesting," she said as she read the title over.

* * *

**And that's the end of the chappie. Please review, it would make me super happy! Plus, more reviews equals faster updates!**

** ~Cassandra**


	10. Halloween

**Here's the next chapter. And for those who have asked me, yes I'll be doing all seven books. I'm still trying to figure out how to twist the whole plot to fit Alex in, so have patience! ;3**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter; it all belongs to J.K Rowling and Warner Brothers Inc. However, I do own Alex.

**Pairings:** All are canon with the exception of my Theo/OC pairing.

* * *

**"****Halloween**" Ginny read.

"Oh bloody hell." Alex buried her face in the crook of Theo's neck. His body tingled as he felt her hot breath on his exposed skin.

Remus noticed the Slytherin flush next to him and shook his head fondly at his goddaughter.

**Malfoy couldn't believe his eyes when he saw that Harry and Ron were still at Hogwarts the next day, looking tired but perfectly cheerful.**

"You have no idea."

**Alex had taken upon giving him nasty looks every time he glanced at her. Malfoy was always quick to look away. When Daphne had asked what it was about, she told her everything that had happened that night.**

**"You're mad!" said Daphne when Alex told her she was keen on having another late night escapade. "Those bloody Gryffindors are rubbing off on you!"**

"Nah, that's just Harry." Alex chuckled.

**"It's not the adventures I enjoy, it's the thrill of not getting caught while doing it." said Alex,**

"That is such a troublemaker response." Marcus laughed.

Sirius gave a proud look and Remus chuckled when the teachers groaned.

**to which Daphne nodded to. "I suppose it is."**

**In the meantime, Harry filled Ron in about the package that seemed to have been moved from Gringotts to Hogwarts, and they spent a lot of time wondering what could possibly need such heavy protection.**

"**It's either really valuable or really dangerous," said Ron.**

"**Or both," said Harry.**

**But as all they knew for sure about the mysterious object was that it was about two inches long, they didn't have much chance of guessing what it was without further clues.**

**Neither Neville nor Hermione showed the slightest interest in what lay underneath the dog and the trapdoor. All Neville cared about was never going near the dog again.**

"Smart boy." piped Sirius.

**Hermione was now refusing to speak to Harry and Ron, but she was such a bossy know-it-all that they saw this as an added bonus.**

Both boys winced and went into a rapid apology.

"I'm going to pull an Alex if you two don't stop apologizing." Hermione laughed.

**All they really wanted now was a way of getting back at Malfoy, and to their great delight, just such a thing arrived in the mail about a week later.**

Most people leaned forward.

**As the owls flooded into the Great Hall as usual, everyone's attention was caught at once by a long, thin package carried by six large screech owls. Harry was just as interested as everyone else to see what was in this large parcel, and was amazed when the owls soared down and dropped it right in front of him, knocking his bacon to the floor.**

"Nooo, not the bacon!" Fred and George cried. Harry laughed and swatted both of them on the arm.

**They had hardly fluttered out of the way when another owl dropped a letter on top of the parcel.**

**Harry ripped open the letter first, which was lucky, because it said:**

**_DO NOT OPEN THE PARCEL AT THE TABLE._**

**_It contains your new Nimbus Two Thousand, but I don't want everybody knowing you've got a broomstick or they'll all want one._**

**_Oliver Wood will meet you tonight on the Quidditch field at seven o'clock for your first training session._**

**_Professor McGonagall_**

Harry smiled up at McGonaggal. "Thanks Professor."

"You're very welcome, Mr. Potter." she nodded.

"But I thought you made the house team as well." Remus asked Alex, confused. "Why didn't you receive one?"

"Professor Snape was more...subtle about it." Alex grinned and Snape smirked.

**Harry had difficulty hiding his glee as he handed the note to Ron to read.**

"**A Nimbus Two Thousand!" Ron moaned enviously. "I've never even****_touched_********one."**

**They left the hall quickly, wanting to unwrap the broomstick in private before their first class, but halfway across the entrance hall they found the way upstairs barred by Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy seized the package from Harry and felt it.**

Some people snickered.

"Heads out the gutter." Professor Vector reprimanded.

"**That's a broomstick," he said, throwing it back to Harry with a mixture of jealousy and spite on his face. "You'll be in for it this time, Potter, first years aren't allowed them."**

"Unless you're Harry Potter." started Fred.

"Or Alexis Potter." said George, dodging a well-aimed book at his head.

**Ron couldn't resist it.**

"**It's not any old broomstick," he said, "it's a Nimbus Two Thousand. What did you say you've got at home, Malfoy, a Comet Two Sixty?" Ron grinned at Harry. "Comets look flashy, but they're not in the same league as the Nimbus."**

All the Quidditch fans nodded.

"**What would you know about it, Weasley, you couldn't afford half the handle," Malfoy snapped back. "I suppose you and your brothers have to save up twig by twig."**

Molly gasped and Arthur shook his head.

"Sorry, sorry!" Malfoy squeaked as Alex took out her ebony wand, and stared at everyone innocently.

"What? I wasn't going to do anything!"

**Before Ron could answer, Professor Flitwick appeared at Malfoy's elbow.**

"**Not arguing, I hope, boys?" he squeaked.**

"Would we/they do that?" All the decent Slytherin and Gyffindor students in the group chorused, and burst into laughter.

"**Potter's been sent a broomstick, Professor," said Malfoy quickly.**

"**Yes, yes, that's right," said Professor Flitwick, beaming at Harry. "Professor McGonagall told me all about you and your sister's special circumstances, Potter. And what model is it?"**

"**A Nimbus Two Thousand, it is," said Harry, fighting not to laugh at the look of horror on Malfoy's face even if he was a bit confused himself. So Alex really had made the team?**

Harry and Ron laughed now and Alex smirked.

**"And it's really thanks to Malfoy here that I've got it," he added.**

"Very Slytherin." Snape commented approvingly.

Many gaped at this.

**Harry and Ron headed upstairs, smothering their laughter at Malfoy's obvious rage and confusion.**

"**Well, it's true," Harry chortled as they reached the top of the marble staircase, "If he hadn't stolen Neville's Remembrall I wouldn't be on the team…"**

"I guess it's a good thing then." Neville laughed.

"**So I suppose you think that's a reward for breaking rules?" came an angry voice from just behind them.**

Hermione buried her face in Ron's shoulder and a muffled groan could be heard.

**Hermione was stomping up the stairs, looking disapprovingly at the package in Harry's hand.**

"**I thought you weren't speaking to us?" said Harry.**

"**Yes, don't stop now," said Ron, "it's doing us so much good."**

Once again there was an onslaught of apologies that Hermione waved off.

**Hermione marched away with her nose in the air.**

Hermione sighed.

**Harry had a lot of trouble keeping his mind on his lessons that day. It kept wandering up to the dormitory where his new broomstick was lying under his bed, or straying off to the Quidditch field where he'd be learning to play that night, or to Alex and what would become of them once their two teams competed against each other.**

"With or without Alex, either way, it's brutal." said Adrian Pucey.

**He bolted his dinner that evening without noticing what he was eating, and then rushed upstairs with Ron to unwrap the Nimbus Two Thousand at last.**

"**Wow," Ron sighed, as the broomstick rolled onto Harry's bedspread.**

**Even Harry, who knew nothing about the different brooms, thought it looked wonderful. Sleek and shiny, with a mahogany handle, it had a long tail of neat, straight twigs and Nimbus Two Thousand written in gold near the top.**

All the Quidditch fans got slightly glazed looks.

"Hem, Hem." Umbridge's irritating voice came from the head table as Ginny had stopped reading.

**As seven o'clock drew nearer, Harry left the castle and set off in the dusk toward the Quidditch field. He'd never been inside the stadium before. Hundreds of seats were raised in stands around the field so that the spectators were high enough to see what was going on. At either end of the field were three golden poles with hoops on the end. They reminded Harry of the little plastic sticks Muggle children blew bubbles through, except that they were fifty feet high.**

Arthur was scribbling something on a piece of parchment.

**Too eager to fly again to wait for Wood, Harry mounted his broomstick and kicked off from the ground. What a feeling — he swooped in and out of the goal posts and then sped up and down the field. The Nimbus Two Thousand turned wherever he wanted at his lightest touch.**

The Quidditch fans were cheering, some still having the glazed looks in their eyes. Harry and Alex smiled.

"**Hey, Potter, come down!"**

**Oliver Wood had arrived. He was carrying a large wooden crate under his arm. Harry landed next to him.**

"**Very nice," said Wood, his eyes glinting. "I see what McGonagall meant…you really are a natural. I'm just going to teach you the rules this evening, then you'll be joining team practice three times a week."**

"Practice." Harry groaned.

"Three." Fred.

"Times." Katie.

"A week." Angelina.

"How we." George.

"Miss you." Alicia cried.

Oliver looked slightly affronted as Marcus and his former team laughed.

**He opened the crate. Inside were four different-sized balls.**

"**Right," said Wood. "Now, Quidditch is easy enough to understand, even if it's not too easy to play. There are seven players on each side. Three of them are called Chasers."**

All the chasers stood to cheers.

"**Three Chasers," Harry repeated, as Wood took out a bright red ball about the size of a soccer ball.**

"**This ball's called the Quaffle," said Wood. "The Chasers throw the Quaffle to each other and try and get it through one of the hoops to score a goal. Ten points every time the Quaffle goes through one of the hoops. Follow me?"**

Harry smiled at the younger students trying to remember it all.

"**The Chasers throw the Quaffle and put it through the hoops to score," Harry recited. "So — that's sort of like basketball on broomsticks with six hoops, isn't it?"**

"**What's basketball?" said Wood curiously.**

Arthur continued scribbling.

"**Never mind," said Harry quickly.**

"**Now, there's another player on each side who's called the Keeper**

The keepers, Oliver included, whooped.

— **I'm Keeper for Gryffindor. I have to fly around our hoops and stop the other team from scoring."**

"**Three Chasers, one Keeper," said Harry, who was determined to remember it all. "And they play with the Quaffle. Okay, got that. So what are they for?" He pointed at the three balls left inside the box.**

"**I'll show you now," said Wood. "Take this."**

**He handed Harry a small club, a bit like a short baseball bat.**

"He didn't." Molly gasped.

"Aye, I did." Oliver admitted sheepishly. "Sorry."

Alex scoffed. "At least you gave him the club _before_ you set those bludgers loose." she glared at Marcus, who cackled with Adrian. "Bloody menace, they are."

"**I'm going to show you what the Bludgers do," Wood said. "These two are the Bludgers."**

**He showed Harry two identical balls, jet black and slightly smaller than the red Quaffle. Harry noticed that they seemed to be straining to escape the straps holding them inside the box.**

"They are."

"**Stand back," Wood warned Harry. He bent down and freed one of the Bludgers.**

**At once, the black ball rose high in the air and then pelted straight at Harry's face. Harry swung at it with the bat to stop it from breaking his nose, and sent it zigzagging away into the air —**

"Pretty good, you'd make a decent reserve." Fred and George complimented.

**it zoomed around their heads and then shot at Wood, who dived on top of it and managed to pin it to the ground.**

Oliver winced.

"**See?" Wood panted, forcing the struggling Bludger back into the crate and strapping it down safely. "The Bludgers rocket around, trying to knock players off their brooms. That's why you have two Beaters on each team**

The beaters stood and bowed.

— **the Weasley twins are ours — it's their job to protect their side from the Bludgers and try and knock them toward the other team. So — think you've got all that?"**

"**Three Chasers try and score with the Quaffle; the Keeper guards the goal posts; the Beaters keep the Bludgers away from their team," Harry reeled off.**

People nodded.

"**Very good," said Wood.**

"**Er — have the Bludgers ever killed anyone?" Harry asked, hoping he sounded offhand.**

"**Never at Hogwarts. We've had a couple of broken jaws but nothing worse than that. Now, the last member of the team is the Seeker. That's you. And you don't have to worry about the Quaffle or the Bludgers —"**

"— **unless they crack my head open."**

"Or break my arm." Harry flinched.

"**Don't worry, the Weasleys are more than a match for the Bludgers — I mean, they're like a pair of human Bludgers themselves."**

"Why Oliver - "

" - that's such a compliment!" cried Fred and George dramatically, bringing the former keeper into a bone-crushing hug. Oliver grunted and tried - and failed - to push them off.

**Wood reached into the crate and took out the fourth and last ball. Compared with the Quaffle and the Bludgers, it was tiny, about the size of a large walnut. It was bright gold and had little fluttering silver wings.**

All the seekers (bar Malfoy, who smirked) smiled.

"**_This_****," said Wood, "is the Golden Snitch, and it's the most important ball of the lot. It's very hard to catch because it's so fast and difficult to see. It's the Seeker's job to catch it. You've got to weave in and out of the Chasers, Beaters, Bludgers, and Quaffle to get it before the other team's Seeker, because whichever Seeker catches the Snitch wins his team an extra hundred and fifty points, so they nearly always win.**

"You could really - "

" - play with seekers alone - "

" - but it would be really - "

" - boring to watch." said Harry and Alex. Fred and George huffed.

"Oi, we told you two - "

" - to stop doing that!"

**That's why Seekers get fouled so much. A game of Quidditch only ends when the Snitch is caught, so it can go on for ages — I think the record is three months, they had to keep bringing on substitutes so the players could get some sleep.**

"**Well, that's it any questions?"**

**Harry shook his head. He understood what he had to do all right;****it was doing it that was going to be the problem.**

All the Quidditch teams snorted. They only beat Gryffindor if he wasn't playing or when there had been a dementor attack.

"**We won't practice with the Snitch yet," said Wood, carefully shutting it back inside the crate, "it's too dark, we might lose it. Let's try you out with a few of these."**

**He pulled a bag of ordinary golf balls out of his pocket and a few minutes later, he and Harry were up in the air, Wood throwing the golf balls as hard as he could in every direction for Harry to catch. Harry didn't miss a single one,**

Oliver smiled proudly as the other seekers gaped.

**and Wood was delighted. After half an hour, night had really fallen and they couldn't carry on.**

"**That Quidditch Cup'll have our name on it this year," said Wood happily as they trudged back up to the castle. "I wouldn't be surprised if you turn out better than Charlie Weasley, and he could have played for England if he hadn't gone off chasing dragons."**

"Don't let Charlie hear you say that." chortled Fred.

**Perhaps it was because he was now so busy, what with Quidditch practice three evenings a week on top of all his homework, but Harry could hardly believe it when he realized that he'd already been at Hogwarts two months.**

**The castle felt more like home than Privet Drive ever had.**

"I hardly call that place a home." Alex scrunched her nose. Theo blinked, that looked sort of cute.

**His lessons, too, were becoming more and more interesting now that they had mastered the basics.**

Everyone nodded.

**On that same week, Flint had called Alex for practice, along with the rest of the Quidditch team. Marcus Flint was team captain and a chaser, along with Adrian Pucey. There were two beaters: Cassius Warrington and Crick Shabes, the latter formerly one of the chasers. Miles Bletchley was keeper, and Terrence Higgs was seeker. Overall, she was the only girl on the team.**

"And the only girl who'll probably ever be on the team." snarked Montague, looking at the more snooty Slytherin girls distastefully.

**Flint handed Alex a large, yet thin****package as she met him on the field. "It's from Professor Snape." he said. "Heard McGonagall got your brother a Nimbus Two Thousand as well. This ought to even the odds."**

**Alex unwrapped the package and admired the flashy broomstick, along with the rest of the team.**

**"Normally, a Cleansweep would be more suitable for a chaser for more agility as the Nimbus is more of the speed type. But I suppose your size would already give you that advantage." said Pucey, and Alex scowled at him.**

"You two really are scrawny gits." said Fred with a laugh, making Molly and Madam Pomfrey eye the two again.

"Nah, it's in the genes." Sirius grinned.

Remus smiled. "Your father was just as scrawny until his fifth year."

**Flint explained the basics, as Wood had done to Harry. Alex seemed to be getting a hang of things, until Flint decided to set one of the bludgers loose.**

Molly gasped.

Crabbe, Goyle, Montague, Malfoy and Marcus cackled, and Remus eyed them warily. If they had hurt his cub...

"Gits." Alex huffed. They all had their share of setting a bludger loose on Alex. Warrington's back then had been an accident, but the rest did it to keep her on her toes.

The other Quidditch teams glanced at them curiously. They had never seen Slytherin practice before.

**Alex ducked when the bludger zoomed an inch from her head and grabbed the small bat in Flint's hands. As the bludger swerved towards them again, Alex beat it towards Pucey, who was still laughing with Warrington and Shabes. It hit him straight in the gut and he gasped in pain, winded. Luckily, it didn't break any ribs...or at least Alex thought it didn't.**

"Sorry Adrian."

Adrian waved off her apology. "You'd make a good beater if it weren't for your anger issues." he said and winced. "We're never letting you near a bat ever again."

**Alex winced. "Sorry Pucey."**

**Pucey waved her off and wrestled the bludger back to its restraints, and the others only seemed to laugh harder.**

The Slytherins started laughing as well. Talk about deja vu.

**"Well, you've got a good arm, Potter." said Flint with a smirk. "Now, we better get started on those drills."**

**"A little warning would have been nice." Alex pursed her lips in annoyance.**

**"Nonsense," Flint scoffed. "As a chaser, you need to be impulsive. Bludgers are unpredictable, and so are the opposing chasers. They don't always stick to the plays they practice. Something always goes wrong in Quidditch."**

"Tell us about it." Harry and Alex chorused.

Oliver blinked. "Flint, I hate to say this, but that's actually a good strategy."

"You don't think we just actually wing things, do you Wood?" Malfoy asked snidely.

Oliver remained silent. Actually, he did, and so did everyone else apparently.

**Alex mounted her broom and kicked off, followed by Flint and Pucey. Flint tossed her the quaffle, which she easily caught. The hard part now was getting it passed Bletchley.**

The keepers snorted. Alex managed to score off them countlessly. She and Malfoy both counted on their reflexes rather than their size unlike the rest of their team.

**Alex shot of towards the stands, Flint and Pucey close behind as she swerved left and right, narrowly missing Pucey as she slipped under his outstretched arm and headed towards the goal posts where Bletchley was waiting. Alex swerved towards the left goal post, purposely making an off shot.**

People leaned forward, while some looked confused.

**When Bletchley turned his broom and knocked the quaffle away, Alex quickly glanced at Flint zooming after the quaffle and intercepted it halfway towards him. Swerving on her own broom, she knocked the quaffle straight through the middle hoop, missing Bletchley's fingers by a centimeter.**

There were murmurs around the hall. So this was how Slytherin trained.

**"Well done Potter, I'm impressed." Flint nodded in approval, along with Pucey and Bletchley. Warrington, Shabes and Higgs were gaping. "Now I need you to practice a tactic with Pucey..."**

"Bested by a first year girl..." Marcus shook his head solemnly.

**Practice went on and on until it had gotten quite late, and Alex was exhausted. Quidditch was really exhilirating. Oh, she had to tell Daphne. How could Daphne not like flying? Or quidditch? It was amazing!**

"Merlin's beard, Alex, you're staring to sound like Wood." Alicia joked.

Oliver pouted in his seat.

**On Halloween morning they woke to the delicious smell of baking pumpkin wafting through the corridors.**

**Even better, Professor Flitwick announced in Charms that he thought they were ready to start making objects fly, something they had all been dying to try since they'd seen him make Neville's toad zoom around the classroom.**

People who had been in that class all chuckled.

**Professor Flitwick put the class into pairs to practice. Harry's partner was Seamus Finnigan (which was a relief, because Neville had been trying to catch his eye).**

"Oi!" Neville cried jokingly.

**Ron, however, was to be working with Hermione Granger. It was hard to tell whether Ron or Hermione was angrier about this.**

"Me." They said in unison, then glared at each other, then huffed.

"Honestly, when will Weasel realize that Granger fancies him?" Malfoy whispered to Alex from across the table. Alex snickered and shook her head.

**She hadn't spoken to either of them since the day Harry's broomstick had arrived.**

**Alex had partnered with Malfoy since he refused to pair up with Crabbe or Goyle, and Daphne had partnered up with Tracy Davis.**

"I pity you, mate. That means you have to deal with his ranting." Blaise laughed.

"**Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practicing!" squeaked Professor Flitwick, perched on top of his pile of books as usual. "Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important, too — never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest."**

"Not true." Terry Boot called.

**It was very difficult. Harry and Seamus swished and flicked, but the feather they were supposed to be sending skyward just lay on the desktop. Seamus got so impatient that he prodded it with his wand and set fire to it — Harry had to put it out with his hat.**

"So that's what they're for." Dennis smiled.

**Ron, at the next table, wasn't having much more luck.**

"**_Wingardium Leviosa!_****" he shouted, waving his long arms like a windmill.**

People laughed especially the people who had seen it.

"**You're saying it wrong," Harry heard Hermione snap. "It's Wing-_gar_-dium Levi-_o_-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long."**

"**You do it, then, if you're so clever," Ron snarled.**

"Never challenge Hermione."Ron shook his head at his younger self.

**Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her gown, flicked her wand, and said, "_Wingardium Leviosa!_"**

**Their feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads.**

"**Oh, well done!" cried Professor Flitwick, clapping. "Everyone see here, Miss Granger's done it!"**

**Ron was in a very bad mood by the end of the class.**

People laughed more. It was typical behavior between the two.

"**It's no wonder no one can stand her," he said to Harry as they pushed their way into the crowded corridor, "she's a nightmare, honestly."**

**Someone knocked into Harry as they hurried past him. It was Hermione. Harry caught a glimpse of her face — and was startled to see that she was in tears.**

Molly looked ready to scold Ron again when Hermione interrupted. "It was in the past, Mrs. Weasley. We've all settled it now."

"**I think she heard you."**

"**So?" said Ron, but he looked a bit uncomfortable. "She must've noticed she's got no friends."**

"Ronald Billius Weasely. How dare you say that about someone." Molly said fuming but remembering to keep her voice down.

**Alex, who had been walking closely behind Daphne, suddenly felt furious. She had grown to respect Hermione ever since she had gotten them out of the tight situation with Filch. Sure, she had made fun of Hermione at some point, but she had only known the girl as a bossy know-it-all who made fun of Ron, a person she considered a friend. Now, her feelings did a complete one-eighty.**

"You're really moody, you know that?" Malfoy pointed out, and ducked as a book flew at him. "Bloody hell woman! What is with you and throwing books?!"

**Daphne too, saw Hermione pass and shared a look with Alex. Daphne nodded and headed for her next class with Tracy. Alex then gave a solid punch to Ron's shoulder as she passed them.**

**"**_**OW!**_**" he yelled. "What was that for you slimy snake?"**

Many Slytherins' eyes narrowed. To insult one Slytherin was to insult all of them.

"Weasley..." Theo warned.

**"You are such a git, Weasley!" she snarled back and turned to her brother. "I can't believe you! I thought you were better than this!" she snapped and went the direction she saw Hermione disappear to.**

Hermione smiled at her friend's loyalty, so did Sirius.

Remus placed a hand on Alex's shoulder with a smile.

"That really hurt!" Ron whined.

**Alex later entered the girl's bathroom. She could distinctly hear Hermione's muffled sobs as she continued to cry.**

**"Granger?" she said as she approached and knelt by the girl.**

**"Alex, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be laughing with Harry and Ron, or Malfoy?" she chocked out, and Alex raised an eyebrow at the mention of Malfoy. Why did everyone assume she was with him just because she was in Slytherin? It was a common fact in Slytherin house that Alex was on her brother's side, and she and Malfoy hated each other.**

"That, apparently, is only a known fact in Slytherin house and is ignored elsewhere." Malfoy mused.

**"I may be a Slytherin, but that doesn't mean I have to hang out with the likes of Malfoy." said Alex.**

**"Oh,"**

**"Granger, I'm going to be honest with the fact that I didn't really like you at first." Hermione then looked up at her. Her eyes were red and puffy, traces of tears on her cheeks.**

**"Why did you change your mind?" she asked.**

**"You helped us, that actually counts for something." Alex smiled. "Weasley was just being a git, don't mind it okay?"**

**"He was right though," Hermione sniffed. "I don't have any friends."**

**"That's not true. I wouldn't be here if you didn't." Hermione gave a meek smile and Alex gently hugged her.**

**"Thanks Alex."**

**"No problem... Hermione."**

"And a friendship was born." Hermione smiled.

**Hermione didn't turn up for the next class and wasn't seen all afternoon. On their way down to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast, Harry and Ron overheard Parvati Patil telling her friend Lavender that Hermione was crying in the girls' bathroom and Alex was comforting her and wouldn't let anybody else get close. Ron looked still more awkward at this, but a moment later they had entered the Great Hall, where the Halloween decorations put Hermione out of their minds.**

The two boys winced.

**A thousand live bats fluttered from the walls and ceiling while a thousand more swooped over the tables in low black clouds, making the candles in the pumpkins stutter.**

"It's understandable." Hermione smiled.

**The feast appeared suddenly on the golden plates, as it had at the start-of-term banquet.**

**Harry was just helping himself to a baked potato when Professor Quirrell came sprinting into the hall, his turban askew and terror on his face. Everyone stared as he reached Professor Dumbledore's chair, slumped against the table, and gasped, "Troll — in the dungeons — thought you ought to know."**

The adults all gasped, minus the Professors.

**He then sank to the floor in a dead faint.**

"Pathetic." Snape snarled.

**There was an uproar. It took several purple firecrackers exploding from the end of Professor Dumbledore's wand to bring silence.**

"**Prefects," he rumbled, "lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!"**

**Percy was in his element.**

More people snorted and Percy looked sheepish.

"But the Slytherin common room is in the dungeons!" a first year Ravenclaw piped worriedly.

"**Follow me! Stick together, first years! No need to fear the troll if you follow my orders! Stay close behind me, now. Make way, first years coming through! Excuse me, I'm a prefect!"**

"Prat." George joked.

"**How could a troll get in?" Harry asked as they climbed the stairs.**

"**Don't ask me, they're supposed to be really stupid," said Ron. "Maybe Peeves let it in for a Halloween joke."**

"Even Peeves knows his limitations when it comes to pranks." a pale Remus said, glancing at his goddaughter once in a while to make sure she was actually there.

**They passed different groups of people hurrying in different directions. As they jostled their way through a crowd of confused Hufflepuffs, Harry suddenly grabbed Ron's arm.**

"**I've just thought — Hermione."**

"Thanks for remembering." Hermione deadpanned.

"**What about her?"**

"Charming." Daphne said with a raised eyebrow.

"**She doesn't know about the troll."**

**Ron bit his lip.**

"**Oh, all right," he snapped. "But Percy'd better not see us."**

The twins nodded. Percy was gobsmacked. How did he let them slip through his fingers?

**Ducking down, they joined the Hufflepuffs going the other way, slipped down a deserted side corridor, and hurried off toward the girls' bathroom. They had just turned the corner when they heard quick footsteps behind them.**

"**Percy!" hissed Ron, pulling Harry behind a large stone griffin.**

**Peering around it, however, they saw not Percy but Snape. He crossed the corridor and disappeared from view.**

Snape's eyes narrowed as many looked at him in suspicion.

"**What's he doing?" Harry whispered. "Why isn't he down in the dungeons with the rest of the teachers?"**

"**Search me."**

**Quietly as possible, they crept along the next corridor after Snape's fading footsteps.**

"**He's heading for the third floor," Harry said, but Ron held up his hand.**

"**Can you smell something?"**

**Harry sniffed and a foul stench reached his nostrils, a mixture of old socks and the kind of public toilet no one seems to clean.**

Many gagged just thinking about it, some going particularly green.

**And then they heard it — a low grunting, and the shuffling footfalls of gigantic feet. Ron pointed — at the end of a passage to the left, something huge was moving toward them. They shrank into the shadows and watched as it emerged into a patch of moonlight.**

**It was a horrible sight. Twelve feet tall, its skin was a dull, granite gray, its great lumpy body like a boulder with its small bald head perched on top like a coconut. It had short legs thick as tree trunks with flat, horny feet. The smell coming from it was incredible. It was holding a huge wooden club, which dragged along the floor because its arms were so long.**

Lots of people wrinkled their noses.

"You didn't have to see it." Ron said in disgust.

**The troll stopped next to a doorway and peered inside. It waggled its long ears, making up its tiny mind, then slouched slowly into the room.**

"**The keys in the lock," Harry muttered. "We could lock it in."**

"**Good idea," said Ron nervously.**

**They edged toward the open door, mouths dry, praying the troll wasn't about to come out of it. With one great leap, Harry managed to grab the key, slam the door, and lock it.**

Alex smacked her forehead. "You idiots!"

Hermione sighed.

"**_Yes!_****"**

_"NO!"_People in the hall chorused in concern.

**Flushed with their victory, they started to run back up the passage, but as they reached the corner they heard something that made their hearts stop — a couple of high, petrified screams — and it was coming from the chamber they'd just chained up.**

"**Oh, no," said Ron, pale as the Bloody Baron.**

"**It's the girls' bathroom!" Harry gasped.**

"**_Hermione!_****" they said together.**

"I feel so loved." Alex pouted.

Theo gulped as he dazedly glanced at her soft, pink lips. He distinctly thought what they would feel like trailing down his neck, going lower and wrapped around his...

_Gah, no! Neutral thoughts! Her godfather's right next to you!_

**It was the last thing they wanted to do, but what choice did they have? Wheeling around, they sprinted back to the door and turned the key, fumbling in their panic. Harry pulled the door open and they ran inside.**

**Hermione Granger was shrinking against the wall opposite, looking as if she was about to faint, and Alex was trying to pull her out of the way.**

"I was in shock." She groaned.

**The troll was advancing on them, knocking the sinks off the walls as it went. Harry felt the blood drain from his face as he caught sight of his sister.**

"**Confuse it!" Harry said desperately to Ron, and, seizing a tap, he threw it as hard as he could against the wall.**

Snape nodded. "That could work temporarily."

**The troll stopped a few feet from the girls. It lumbered around, blinking stupidly, to see what had made the noise. Its mean little eyes saw Harry. It hesitated, then made for him instead, lifting its club as it went.**

People looked terrified and shot Harry looks to make sure he was still there. Harry felt a hand slip into his and gave a gentle squeeze. Ginny was extremely pale as she read on.

**"Harry!" Alex cried in worry.**

**"Oi, pea-brain!" yelled Ron from the other side of the chamber, and he threw a metal pipe at it. The troll didn't even seem to notice the pipe hitting its shoulder, but it heard the yell and paused again, turning its ugly snout toward Ron instead, giving Harry time to run around it.**

"**Come on, run,****_run_****!" Harry yelled at Hermione, he and Alex trying to pull her toward the door, but she couldn't move, she was still flat against the wall, her mouth open with terror.**

People where in shock.

"That's no time to freeze!" Katie shrieked.

**"Hermione , please! This is no time to freeze!" Alex shook the girl desperately.**

**The shouting and the echoes seemed to be driving the troll berserk. It roared again and started toward Ron, who was nearest and had no way to escape.**

Molly brought Ron into a crushing hug.

"Mum," he grunted, "Gerroff me!"

**Harry then did something that was both very brave and very stupid:**

The Gryffindors groaned. This is why they had the reputation for being reckless.

**He took a great running jump and managed to fasten his arms around the troll's neck from behind. The troll couldn't feel Harry hanging there, but even a troll will notice if you stick a long bit of wood up its nose, and Harry's wand had still been in his hand when he'd jumped – it had gone straight up one of the troll's nostrils.**

"EEEWWWW!" Lavender and Pavarti squealed.

**Howling with pain, the troll twisted and flailed its club, with Harry clinging on for dear life; any second, the troll was going to rip him off or catch him a terrible blow with the club.**

**Hermione had sunk to the floor in fright, Alex fumbling for her wand; Ron pulled out his own wand — not knowing what he was going to do he heard himself cry the first spell that came into his head: "_Wingardium Leviosa!_"**

Insert face palms.

**The club suddenly out of the troll's hand, rose high, high up into the air.**

Insert disbelieving looks.

**Alex finally pulled out her wand and pointed it at the troll as it moved for Ron, even without its bat.****"**_**Petrificus Totalus!"**_****

"So that's where you learned the full body bind?" Ron asked Hermione, who nodded.

**The troll's arms and legs snapped together as the club floating above itturned slowly over — and dropped, with a sickening crack, onto its owner's head. The troll swayed on the spot and then fell flat on its face, with a thud that made the whole room tremble.**

People sighed in relief and some were gaping.

**Harry got to his feet. He was shaking and out of breath. Ron was standing there with his wand still raised, staring at what he had done, while Alex pocketed hers.**

**It was Hermione who spoke first.**

"**Is it — dead?"**

"**I don't think so," said Harry, "I think it's just been knocked out."**

**He bent down and pulled his wand out of the troll's nose. It was covered in what looked like lumpy gray glue.**

"**Urgh — troll boogers."**

**He wiped it on the troll's trousers.**

"I asked Percy to use a disinfectant spell on it later."

**A sudden slamming and loud footsteps made the three of them look up. They hadn't realized what a racket they had been making, but of course, someone downstairs must have heard the crashes and the troll's roars. A moment later, Professor McGonagall had come bursting into the room, closely followed by Snape, with Quirrell bringing up the rear. Quirrell took one look at the troll, let out a faint whimper, and sat quickly down on a toilet, clutching his heart.**

The trio and quartet snarled.

**Snape bent over the troll. Professor McGonagall was looking at Ron and Harry. Harry had never seen her look so angry. Her lips were white.**

**Hopes of winning fifty points for Gryffindor faded quickly from Harry's mind.**

"Don't ask how they got there in the first place."

"**What on earth were you thinking of?" said Professor McGonagall, with cold fury in her voice. Harry looked at Ron, who was still standing with his wand in the air. "You're lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your dormitory?"**

**Snape gave Harry a swift, piercing look. Harry looked at the floor. He wished Ron would put his wand down.**

Some sniggered.

**Then a small voice came out of the shadows.**

"**Please, Professor McGonagall — they were looking for me."**

"**Miss Granger!"**

**Hermione had managed to get to her feet at last.**

"**I went looking for the troll because I — I thought I could deal with it on my own — you know, because I've read all about them."**

Jaws dropped in surprise.

**Ron dropped his wand. Hermione Granger, telling a downright lie to a teacher?**

"**If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead now. Harry stuck his wand up its nose, Alex cast a full body bind on it and Ron knocked it out with its own club. They didn't have time to come and fetch anyone. It was about to finish me off when they arrived."**

**Harry and Ron tried to look as though this story wasn't new to them, while the Professors finally turned to Alex in surprise, not noticing her standing there earlier. The Slytherin looked apathetic, only wincing as she glanced at Snape.**

"I swear, it's like he can read your mind." Ron nodded, and Snape smirked secretively to himself.

"**Miss Potter?" said Professor McGonagall in surprise. "What are you doing with these three? Why didn't you proceed to your common room?"**

**Alex inaudibly gulped. "I -"**

**"I brought her with me Professor." Hermione interrupted at once. "She tried to stop me from going after the troll, but I didn't listen.**

"You could have just told me the truth Miss Granger." McGonagall sighed.

**"Well — in that case…" said Professor McGonagall, staring at the four of them, "Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own? Dragging a student with you no less?"**

**Hermione hung her head. Harry was speechless, Alex was shocked. Hermione was the last person to do anything against the rules, and here she was, pretending she had, to get them out of trouble. It was as if Snape had started handing out sweets.**

Snape waved his wand and suddenly a bag of licorice wands fell in Alex's lap. Alex squealed and popped one into her mouth as the others gaped at Snape.

Sirius, Harry and Ron looked on in disbelief, and Remus was chuckling as Alex brought the candy to Theo's lips. The boy chuckled and took a bite off the candy, all the while watching Alex's smiling face.

"Awww"s and catcalls rang through the hall; Blaise and Daphne being the loudest.

"**Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this,"****said Professor McGonagall. "I'm very disappointed in you. If you're not hurt at all, you'd better get off to Gryffindor tower. Students are finishing the feast in their houses."**

**Hermione left.**

**Professor McGonagall turned to Harry, Alex and Ron.**

"**Well, I still say you were lucky, but not many first years could have taken on a full-grown mountain troll. You each win your houses five points. Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this. You may go."**

Some jaws hit the floor. Only five points for taking on a mountain troll?

**They hurried out of the chamber and didn't speak at all until they were out of hearing distance. It was a relief to be away from the smell of the troll, quite apart from anything else.**

"**We should have gotten more than ten points," Ron grumbled.**

"**Five, you mean, once she's taken off Hermione's."**

"**Good of her to get us out of trouble like that," Ron admitted. "Mind you, we****_did_********save her."**

"**She might not have needed saving if we hadn't locked the thing in with her," Harry reminded him.**

"Point taken."

**"Alex!" Harry called as his twin walked the opposite direction he and Ron were heading, surprising both her and Ron when he hugged her tightly. He felt Alex stiffen, but ignored it.**

**"Yes?"**

**"I - I'm sorry." he told her earnestly. "I'm sorry for judging you so quickly. I should have known better, I mean, I've known you my whole life and I - "**

**"Harry," Alex pulled away, effectively cutting him off. "I understand where you're coming from, but I'm not sure if I can forgive you just yet." Harry looked hurt at this. "You've been ignoring me this whole time, probably talking about me behind my back too."**

**Harry shifted guiltily, and Alex had her answer. With a glance at Ron, she cautiously approached them both and gave her brother another hesitant hug. "Just please be careful." she mumbled as she pulled away. "Both of you. And for Merlin's sake, don't do anything stupid like that ever again."**

There were weak laughs all around.

"You should follow your own advice." said Daphne, still a bit pale.

**With a shake of her head, Alex left to find her housemates, leaving Harry and Ron staring after her somewhat remorsefully.**

**"If it means something mate, she's not bad for a Slytherin." said Ron and Harry nodded sadly as they walked back to the Gryffindor common room.**

**They had reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.**

"**Pig snout," they said and entered.**

**The common room was packed and noisy. Everyone was eating the food that had been sent up. Hermione, however, stood alone by the door, waiting for them. There was a very embarrassed pause. Then, none of them looking at each other, they all said "Thanks," and hurried off to get plates.**

Laughter erupted. That's how they became friends.

**But from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend, and Alex Potter had become an ally.**

Alex scoffed. "Is that all I am to you?"

Harry and Ron laughed, and Hermione shook her head.

**There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.**

More Laughter.

**"Salazar." Alex said as she reached the bare stone wall of the Slytherin common room, and was tackled by Daphne as soon as she entered. The others were talking amongst themselves as they ate. Daphne pulled her towards the group seated on the leather couches. There was Tracy, Pansy, Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Blaise, Millicent Bulstrode, and a boy named Theodore Nott.**

"Why were you with them in the first place?" Alex asked Daphne.

"Well, I was friends with Tracy, who was friends with Millicent and Pansy, who was friends with Blaise, who was somewhat friends with Malfoy, who's always with Crabbe and Goyle and just happened to know Theo." said Daphne.

This made everyone's head hurt.

**"Alex!" Blaise grinned at her as she seated herself between him and Daphne, and crossed her legs. "Where have you been?"**

**"Yes, were have you been? I was worried sick!" Daphne cried, and swatted Alex's arm.**

**Alex smirked, eyes drifting along the curious group. "You'd never believe me if I told you."**

"The end of the chapter." Ginny announced.

"Honestly, we thought you were joking about the whole troll thing." said Millicent.

"Well, you wanted me to tell you. It was your choice if you'd believe me or not." Alex shrugged.

Dumbledore then called everyone's attention. "Now, I want everyone to proceed to your dormitories. Classes will go on as usual," Many groaned in protest. "And we shall continue the reading after dinner."

"Hem, hem." Umbridge interrupted. "Miss Potter, I'd like to see you in my office to continue your detention tonight."

Harry cast his sister a worried glance. They both had different scheduled detentions, so they never saw each other in the toad's office.

Alex clenched her fists under the table. "Yes, _Professor._" she bit out. Blaise, Daphne, Theo and Astoria glared at the pink toad as she smiled smugly at the group; the adults all looking confused.

=TimeSkip=

Alex nursed her throbbing hand as she exited Umbitch's office, cursing the toad in a way that would make a sailor blush. Then, she bumped into someone as she turned the corner.

"Watch where you're going, Potter."

Alex internally groaned. "I'm not in the mood to argue with you, Malfoy." she snapped tiredly.

Malfoy glanced at the hand she was nursing, and his eyes grew wide. He caught her left wrist before she could hide it and examined the back of her left hand. "What the bloody hell happened to you, Potter?"

Should she tell him? He would probably just make fun of her for it. Alex winced as Malfoy gently brushed his thumb over the open would.

_I will not speak out of turn._

"She used blood quills on you?" Malfoy raised an eyebrow, daring her to say otherwise. But she didn't. "That bloody toad."

Alex watched as Malfoy pulled out his wand. Thinking he was about to hex her, Alex moved to pull away, but Malfoy only tightened his grip on her wrist. "Calm down, Potter. I'm not going to curse you or anything. We're over that, remember?"

She stared at him doubtfully, but nodded.

Malfoy pointed his wand at her hand. "_Ferula!_" Bandages wrapped around her swollen hand and Alex looked up at Malfoy in surprise.

"Thanks." she spoke softly, quite unsure of what to do. "But why?"

"House rules, remember?" Malfoy chuckled. "We Slytherins have to support one another in public. Image is everything."

"But we're the only people in this corridor." Alex said, confused.

Malfoy smiled. It wasn't a smirk, or a grin either. "Back to the common room?" he offered.

Alex nodded and walked with him. Yet, she couldn't help but feel like someone was watching them; and she knew, like Harry, her instincts were never wrong.

* * *

**I hope you all liked this chapter. Anyways, please review!**

** ~Cassandra**


	11. Quidditch

**Guys, be sure to check out my new story "Behind Those Emerald Eyes". It's thee of those twins becoming the next "dark lord and lady" kind of things. Don't worry, I'm going to be updating my stories regularly, so you won't have to worry about me not updating.**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter; it all belongs to J.K Rowling and Warner Brothers Inc. However, I do own Alex.

**Pairings:** All are canon with the exception of my Theo/OC pairing.

* * *

The next day, lessons were surprisingly pleasant for all, save for D.A.D.A. Sure, there were the usual jeers and insults between Gryffindor and Slytherin. Although it wasn't as bad as it used to be, some things just never change. Heck, even Snape decided to tone things down, with the exception of snapping at Neville when the boy made his cauldron melt while they were making a Strengthening Solution.

The guests had stuck around the castle, and the Weasley twins had tried to be as inconspicuous as possible in pulling pranks while Molly was around, Sirius and Remus giving them tips every now and then.

When it was finally time for dinner, Alex had invited Remus and Tonks to sit at the Slytherin table - with a couple of legitimate threats to a couple of her housemates who had refused, but the two adults didn't need to know that - and they had accepted. Remus sat next to Alex, Tonks on his other side. Alex was on Theo's left, Blaise on his right; Daphne, Astoria, Marcus and Adrian across from them.

Then, Malfoy strode over to where they were siting, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle as usual.

"Potter," he nodded to her and sat between Daphne and Marcus, Crabbe and Goyle next to Adrian.

"Malfoy," she greeted in the same manner.

"How's your hand?" Malfoy asked, and the rest of her friends stared at her expectantly, while Remus and Tonks looked confused.

Alex tried not to hit him for bringing it up. "It's fine; thank you."

"Why? What happened to your hand?" questioned Remus, making Alex winced. She can't lie to Remus, but she didn't want him to throw a fit over it either.

"Nothing," she managed, but Remus wasn't convinced. Alex showed him her right hand. "See, nothing!"

Remus gave her a stern look before taking her left hand, and Alex visibly flinched. It was wrapped in a bandage, a bit of blood seeping through. "What happened?" he demanded.

"Cut my hand during potions." Alex replied quickly. She knew Remus wasn't convinced, but she knew he wouldn't pry either. He nodded, albeit reluctantly.

Over at the Gryffindor table, Harry, Ron and Hermione sat together. Sirius was next to Harry, Arthur and Molly at his other side, across from the twins and Oliver.

"You still have detention tonight, mate?" Ron asked, and Harry nodded grimly.

"Who with?" asked Sirius.

"Umbridge." Harry bit out.

"Tough luck mate, a whole hour with the toad?" said Dean. "Don't think I could take that."

Dumbledore finally called their attention, "Now, I do believe Mr. Jordan should read the next chapter." he said and the book was levitated over to Lee, who looked confused as the rest were. But when he glanced at the chapter title, he grinned.

"**Quidditch**" Lee called to recourse cheers.

**As they entered November, the weather turned very cold.****The mountains around the school became icy gray and the lake like chilled morning the ground was covered in frost. Hagrid could be seen from the upstairs windows defrosting broomsticks on the Quidditch field, bundled up in a long moleskin overcoat, rabbit fur gloves, and enormous beaver skin boots.**

**The Quidditch season had begun.**

More cheers.

**On Saturday, Harry would be playing in his first match after weeks of training: Gryffindor versus Slytherin (against Alex's house team, he noted). If Gryffindor won, they would move up into second place in the house championship.**

**Hardly anyone had seen Harry play because Wood had decided that, as their secret weapon, Harry should be kept, well, secret. But the news that he was playing Seeker had leaked out somehow,**

The Weasley twins whistled innocently, and Oliver glared at them.

**and Harry didn't know which was worse — people telling him he'd be brilliant or people telling him they'd be running around underneath him holding a mattress.**

Harry snorted he could have used the mattress.

**It was really lucky that Harry now had Hermione as a friend. He didn't know how he'd have gotten through all his homework without her, what with all the last-minute Quidditch practice Wood was making them do. She had also lent him****_Quidditch Through the Ages_****, which turned out to be a very interesting read.**

All the Quidditch fans nodded.

**Harry learned that there were seven hundred ways of committing a Quidditch foul and that all of them had happened during a World Cup match in 1473;****that Seekers were usually the smallest and fastest players, and that most serious Quidditch accidents seemed to happen to them;**

All the seekers in the room shuddered.

"And this is why I worry about you more." Alex shook her head at Harry's grin.

**that although people rarely died playing Quidditch, referees had been known to vanish and turn up months later in the Sahara Desert.**

"They were fine."

"How on earth did they end up there?"

**Hermione had become a bit more relaxed about breaking rules since Harry and Ron had saved her from the mountain troll, and she was much nicer for it. The day before Harry's first Quidditch match the three of them were out in the freezing courtyard during break, and she had conjured them up a bright blue fire that could be carried around in a jam jar.**

"That is impressive." Flitwick commented.

**They were standing with their backs to it, getting warm, when Snape crossed the yard. Harry noticed at once that Snape was limping.**

"To bloody observant." Snape muttered to himself.

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione moved closer together to block the fire from view; they were sure it wouldn't be allowed.**

"As it's not indoors it is." McGonagall explained

**Unfortunately, something about their guilty faces caught Snape's eye. He limped over. He hadn't seen the fire, but he seemed to be looking for a reason to tell them off anyway.**

"Too true." McGonagall glared at Snape.

"**What's that you've got there, Potter?"**

**It was****_Quidditch Through the Ages_****. Harry showed him.**

"**Library books are not to be taken outside the school," said Snape. "Give it to me. Five points from Gryffindor."**

"You made that up! There is no such rule!" Madam Pince snapped.

"**He's just made that rule up," Harry muttered angrily as Snape limped away. "Wonder what's wrong with his leg?"**

"**Dunno, but I hope it's really hurting him," said Ron bitterly.**

"I will not apologise, you treat my friends like that we won't get on." Ron said stubbornly not faltering under his mother's glare.

"I second that." Alex huffed.

**The Gryffindor common room was very noisy that evening. Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat together next to a window. Hermione was checking Harry and Ron's Charms homework for them. She would never let them copy ("How will you learn?"), but by asking her to read it through, they got the right answers anyway.**

**Harry felt restless. He wanted****_Quidditch Through the Ages_****back, to take his mind off his nerves about tomorrow. Why should he be afraid of Snape?**

"Many reasons." Dennis Creevey shuddered with a small voice but everybody heard him and nodded in agreement.

**Getting up, he told Ron and Hermione he was going to ask Snape if he could have it.**

"**Better you than me," they said together, but Harry had an idea that Snape wouldn't refuse if there were other teachers listening.**

"That would work." Professor Sinistra smiled.

"Very Slytherin thinking." Astoria commented, surprised.

"It's Alex's fault!" Harry argued.

Alex looked indignant. "ME? What did _I_ do?"

"You've corrupted me!"

There were snorts and laughs all around as Alex replied. "I did _no_ such thing! It wouldn't have made a difference!"

"She's actually right, mate." chortled Ron. "But let's face it, you're only cunning when you're under pressure."

**He made his way down to the staffroom and knocked. There was no answer. He knocked again. Nothing.**

**Perhaps Snape had left the book in there? It was worth a try. He pushed the door ajar and peered inside – and a horrible scene met his eyes.**

**Snape and Filch were inside, alone.**

People looked sick.

"Wait until I read the next two sentences before you lot assume anything." Lee said as he paused his reading, then continued.

**Snape was holding his robes above his knees.** ("Next _two_, I said!" he yelled at Fred and George's laughter.) **One****of his legs was bloody and mangled. Filch was handing Snape bandages.**

People relaxed, that was not a nice image.

"**Blasted thing," Snape was saying. "How are you supposed to keep your eyes on all three heads at once?"**

"You're not Professor, that's kinda the point." Alex said making people laugh. Only she and Malfoy could get away with making wise-cracks at Snape.

**Harry tried to shut the door quietly, but —**

"**POTTER!"**

Lee shouted, making Fred and George jump with shrieks. Everyone laughed at that.

**Snape's face was twisted with fury as he dropped his robes quickly to hide his leg. Harry gulped.**

"**I just wondered if I could have my book back."**

"**GET OUT!****_OUT!_****"**

**Harry left, before Snape could take any more points from Gryffindor.**

"Smart." Someone commented.

**He sprinted back upstairs.**

"**Did you get it?" Ron asked as Harry joined them. "What's the matter?"**

**In a low whisper, Harry told them what he'd seen.**

"Of course." Zacharias sneered, making a bunch of Gryffindors and Slytherins glare at him.

"**You know what this means?" he finished breathlessly. "He tried to get past that three-headed dog at Halloween! That's where he was going when we saw him — he's after whatever it's guarding! And I'd bet my broomstick****_he_****let that troll in, to make a diversion!"**

**Hermione's eyes were wide.**

"**No — he wouldn't," she said. "I know he's not very nice, but he wouldn't try and steal something Dumbledore was keeping safe."**

Snape nodded.

"**Honestly, Hermione, you think all teachers are saints or something," snapped Ron. "I'm with Harry. I wouldn't put anything past Snape. But what's he after? What's that dog guarding?"**

**Harry went to bed with his head buzzing with the same question. Neville was snoring loudly, but Harry couldn't sleep. He tried to empty his mind — he needed to sleep, he had to, he had his first Quidditch match in a few hours – but the expression on Snape's face when Harry had seen his leg wasn't easy to forget.**

**Just as Harry left, Alex wandered over. She was hoping that she could speak to Professor Snape, and possibly thank him, and seek advice on how to calm her nerves for the upcoming match.**

"Why Snape of all people?" Ron whined, and Alex glared at him.

"Well, for one, my position on the team was supposed to be a secret. And Professor Snape _is_ my head of house."

"How your position was kept a secret from even the Slytherin house is a mystery." Daphne mused.

**"Professor?" Alex spoke hesitantly upon seeing Snape's livid expression. Then, her gaze landed on his bloody leg, which he quickly covered up with his robe.**

More suspicious looks thrown Snape's way.

**"What is it, Miss Potter?" he snapped. Oh, bloody hell, he was in a foul mood. Alex thought about going back to her dormitory, but it would probably make Snape angrier that she had bothered him without a reason.**

"Yes, I would have." confirmed Snape.

**"I just needed advice, sir." Alex gulped. "I can't sleep. I'm nervous about the game tomorrow. What if I don't do well?"**

**Snape's features somewhat softened as he glanced down at the young, vulnerable girl in front of him.**

Many blinked in disbelief, while Blaise scoffed. "Vulnerable? Oh, please!" much to the amusement of the Slytherins.

**"From what I've heard from Mr. Flint, Miss Potter, your training had been rather impressive. If you are anything like your father,****I'm sure you have nothing to fear." Snape looked a little pained as he said this.**

"You basically implied that James was an excellent quidditch player." Remus pointed out incredulously.

Sirius looked equally scandalized. "Poor Prongs must be rolling in his grave."

Fred and George shared a look at this.

"So if James Potter was Prongs - " Fred started.

" - then that means Harry and Alex are - " George paused as he and Fred's eyes widened.

" - the Marauder's heirs!" They were grinning maniacally now, and it honestly scared Alex and Harry to no end.

Cue more groans from teachers, students staring in confusion, and Remus and Sirius grinning like loons.

**"You knew my parents Professor?" Alex asked with a small smile, her eyes wide and glistening in excitement.**

"Awww, you were so innocent!" Daphne mocked, and Alex reached over the table and flicked her forehead. "OW!"

**Snape cleared his throat, his eyes refusing to meet hers. "Best get back to your dormitory, Miss Potter. I assure you, you'll do fine tomorrow. But I doubt you will do so with lack of sleep."**

**The smile slid off Alex's face and she reluctantly nodded with a "Goodnight Professor," as she walked back the way she came. She supposed Snape's words counted as some sort of pep talk, or maybe a reassurance. But she knew she felt slightly better knowing her head of house had**_**some**_**faith in her.**

**The next morning dawned very bright and cold. The Great Hall was full of the delicious smell of fried sausages and the cheerful chatter of everyone looking forward to a good Quidditch match.**

"**You've got to eat some breakfast."**

"**I don't want anything."**

"**Just a bit of toast," wheedled Hermione.**

"**I'm not hungry."**

"I was to nervous to eat." Harry said. Again, Madam Pomfrey and Molly commented how he was too skinny.

**Harry felt terrible. In an hour's time he'd be walking onto the field.**

"**Harry, you need your strength," said Seamus Finnigan. "Seekers are always the ones who get clobbered by the other team."**

Seamus winced. "That came out wrong."

"**Thanks, Seamus," said Harry, watching Seamus pile ketchup on his sausages.**

"Stop mentioning food." Ron groaned making people snicker, and Hermione looked at him incredulously.

"Ron, we just had dinner!" she said.

"I'm a growing boy; I need my FOOD!" Ron cried, earning more laughs.

**Alex was pale, and her hands shook that she couldn't even pick up her food with out spilling anything. She didn't want to eat anything; if she did, she'd just spew it all out right after. Daphne had gone far as to threaten to force feed her if she didn't eat, as she knew Alex's light eating habits would take a toll on her health sooner or later.**

Harry frowned. Thankfully Alex had broken her light eating habits in their third year, but it was difficult.

**By eleven o'clock the whole school seemed to be out in the stands around the Quidditch pitch. Many students had binoculars. The seats might be raised high in the air, but it was still****difficult to see what was going on sometimes.**

**Ron and Hermione joined Neville, Seamus, and Dean the West Ham fan**

Dean and Seamus snorted.

**up in the top row. As a surprise for Harry, they had painted a large banner on one of the sheets Scabbers had ruined. It said****_Potter for President_****, and Dean, who was good at drawing,**

"Thank you."

**had done a large Gryffindor lion underneath. Then Hermione had performed a tricky little charm so that the paint flashed different colours.**

"Why aren't you in Ravenclaw?" Terry whined.

**Meanwhile, in the locker room, Harry and the rest of the team were changing into their scarlet Quidditch robes (Slytherin would be playing in green).**

"Really? I thought we were playing in pink." Alex deadpanned, and the rest of the hall laughed, while her teammates looked horrified at the very thought.

**Wood cleared his throat for silence.**

Oliver in the hall did so as well. "Okay, men."

"And, women." Angelina reminded him

"And, women." Oliver continued "This is it."

"The big one." Fred said

"The one we've all been waiting for." said George

"We know Oliver's speech by heart we were on the team last year." Fred resisted.

"Shut up you two." Oliver mockingly snapped. "This is the best team Gryffindor's had in years. We're going to win. I know it." Both he and Harry gave everyone the 'or else' glare.

"**Okay, men," he said.**People started laughing.

"**And women," said Chaser Angelina Johnson.**And more.

"**And women," Wood agreed. "This is it."**It got worse.

"**The big one," said Fred Weasley.**It was deafening.

"**The one we've all been waiting for," said George.**Remus had to cover his ears.

"**We know Oliver's speech by heart," Fred told Harry, "we were on the team last year."**People where turning blue.

"**Shut up, you two," said Wood. "This is the best team Gryffindor's had in years. We're going to win. I know it."**People thought the laughter couldn't get any worse.

**He glared at them all as if to say, "Or else."**It did and it took a good few minutes to calm down.

"**Right. It's time. Good luck, all of you."**

**Harry followed Fred and George out of the locker room and, hoping his knees weren't going to give way, walked onto the field to loud cheers.**

**Alex shuffled nervously as the Slytherin team was ready to exit the locker room in their green quidditch robes. What would people say when she walked out on the field? What would Harry say?**

"I would have gone bonkers on you and screamed _Why didn't you tell me?_, then I would congratulate you." piped Harry with a grin.

Alex raised an eyebrow. "I worried for nothing. Thank you so much."

**As she followed the boys out to the field, she could practically feel everyone's disbelief oozing off them. A girl on the Slytherin quidditch team? That was a first. She had to admit though, the look on the Gryffindor team's faces was priceless.**

"It really was shocking." Alicia admitted.

"Not as shocking as letting Malfoy join the team though." Angelina laughed to Malfoy's chagrin, and the Gryffindors' amusement.

**If only she could see the look on Malfoy's face now; her day would be complete.**

There were murmurs of agreement.

Malfoy shook his head. He admitted (but not out loud), he had that one coming.

**She met Harry's eyes, and the two shared a small smile. Alex was relieved; he wasn't mad at her then.**

**Madam Hooch was refereeing. She stood in the middle of the field waiting for the two teams, her broom in her hand.**

"**Now, I want a nice fair game, all of you," she said,**

Everyone snorted. No chance. Then they looked at the group of Slytherins and Gryffindors, well back then.

**once they were all gathered around her. Harry noticed that she seemed to be speaking particularly to the Slytherin Captain, Marcus Flint, a sixth year. Harry thought Flint looked as if he had some troll blood in him.**

Marcus, who looked more decent than he did back then, thankfully took Harry's words lightly, but with a twinge of annoyance.

**Out of the corner of his eye he saw the fluttering banner high above, flashing Potter for President over the crowd. His heart skipped. He felt braver.**

"Glad we could help."

**Alex glanced at the Slytherin stands and caught Daphne and Tracy waving wildly. She grinned.**

**"Mount your brooms, please."**

**Harry and Alex clambered onto their Nimbus Two Thousands.**

**Madam Hooch gave a loud blast on her silver whistle.**

**Fifteen brooms rose up, high, high into the air. They were off.**

"**And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor — what an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive, too —"**

People started laughing as Lee repeated his commentary.

"**JORDAN!"**

"**Sorry, Professor."**

"Not." He added on.

**The Weasley twins' friend, Lee Jordan, was doing the commentary for the match, closely watched by Professor McGonagall.**

"I remember when you did that for me." Remus smiled.

"A good job too. You said things that would make sailors blush."

"In Moony's defense, Rosier nearly killed James with that bludger." said Sirius.

"**And she's really belting along up there, a neat pass to Alicia Spinnet, a good find of Oliver Wood's, last year only a reserve — and a pass to Johnson intercepted by Alex Potter,****first girl to ever join the Slytherin quidditch team. What on earth has Flint been smoking?****— Joking, Professor! Alex Potter in possession of the quaffle and****passes to Slytherin Captain Marcus Flint and off he goes — Flint flying like an eagle up there**

The Slytherins smiled at the compliment; they hadn't noticed it the first time.

- **he's going to sc — no, stopped by an excellent move by Gryffindor Keeper Wood and the Gryffindors take the Quaffle — that's Chaser Katie Bell of Gryffindor there, nice dive around Flint, off up the field and — OUCH — that must have hurt, hit in the back of the head by a Bludger**

People winced, particularly those who had been hit by a Bludger.

**Quaffle taken by the Slytherins — that's Adrian Pucey speeding off toward the goal posts, but he's blocked by a second Bludger — sent his way by Fred or George Weasley, can't tell which**

"It was Fred." Harry chimed in.

— **nice play by the Gryffindor Beater, anyway, and Johnson back in possession of the Quaffle, a clear field ahead and off she goes — she's really flying — dodges a speeding Bludger — the goal posts are ahead — come on, now, Angelina — Keeper Bletchley dives — misses — GRYFFINDORS SCORE!"**

**Gryffindor cheers filled the cold air,**(and the Hall) **with howls and moans from the Slytherins.**

"**Budge up there, move along."**

"**Hagrid!"**

"It's moved points of view." Luna said.

Hermione paled and glanced at Snape.

**Ron and Hermione squeezed together to give Hagrid enough space to join them.**

"**Bin watchin' from me hut," said Hagrid, patting a large pair of binoculars around his neck, "But it isn't the same as bein' in the crowd.**

"Never is." He added in.

**No sign of the Snitch yet, eh?"**

"**Nope," said Ron. "Harry hasn't had much to do yet."**

"**Kept outta trouble, though, that's somethin'," said Hagrid,**

Snorts went through the room. Harry, stay out of trouble, no chance.

**raising his binoculars and peering skyward at the speck that was Harry.**

**Way up above them, Harry was gliding over the game, squinting about for some sign of the Snitch. This was part of his and Wood's game plan.**

"**Keep out of the way until you catch sight of the Snitch," Wood had said. "We don't want you attacked before you have to be."**

Many nodded in approval.

"That's good strategy." Sirius commented, and Oliver beamed with pride.

**When Angelina had scored, Harry had done a couple of loop-the-loops to let off his feelings.**

**Now he was back to staring around for the Snitch. Once he caught sight of a flash of gold, but it was just a reflection from one of the Weasleys' wristwatches,**

"I told you to take them off!" Oliver roared.

**and once a Bludger decided to come pelting his way, more like a cannonball than anything, but Harry dodged it and Fred Weasley came chasing after it.**

"**All right there, Harry?" he had time to yell, as he beat the Bludger furiously toward Marcus Flint.**

**"Flint, look alive!" Alex called, and Marcus ducked as the bludger soared above his head.**

**Alex then sped towards Katie, who was speeding towards the goal posts with Alicia. Bletchely managed to block Katie's shot and tossed it towards Alex, who caught it with one hand and ducked under Alicia's arm as she made a move for the quaffle.**

"Merlin, you really are a midget." Adrian guffawed, and grunted when a book hit him square on the forehead.

"10 points to Slytherin!" Alex cheered, making the rest of the hall laugh.

"**Slytherin in possession," Lee Jordan was saying, "Chaser Alex Potter avoids Chaser Spinnet, passes the quaffle to Chaser Pucey who ducks two Bludgers, two Weasleys, and Chaser Bell, and speeds toward the — wait a moment — was that the Snitch?"**

People leaned forward.

**A murmur ran through the crowd as Adrian Pucey dropped the Quaffle, too busy looking over his shoulder at the flash of gold that had passed his left ear.**

Insert face-palms.

"Why'd you stop?" Astoria cried. "You were supposed to keep the game going even when the seekers are looking for the snitch!"

Adrian looked _very_ sheepish as his team turned to him.

**Harry saw it. In a great rush of excitement he dived downward after the streak of gold. Slytherin Seeker Terence Higgs had seen it, too. Neck and neck they hurtled toward the Snitch — all the Chasers seemed to have forgotten what they were supposed to be doing as they hung in midair to watch.**

More face-palms.

**Harry was faster than Higgs — he could see the little round ball, wings fluttering, darting up ahead — he put on an extra spurt of speed —**

**WHAM!**

**A roar of rage echoed from the Gryffindors below — Marcus Flint had blocked Harry on purpose, and Harry's broom spun off course, Harry holding on for dear life.**

Remus and Sirius looked outraged.

"I'm still pissed at you for that. You could have killed him!" Alex hissed, literally hissed, that made everyone's eyes grow wide. Marcus gulped.

"Allie, what did I tell you about your temper?" Theo reprimanded gently, stroking Alex's hair again. Alex's shoulders sagged. She wouldn't admit it, but she loved it when Theo did that.

"**Foul!" screamed the Gryffindors.**

**Madam Hooch spoke angrily to Flint and then ordered a free shot at the goal posts for Gryffindor. But in all the confusion, of course, the Golden Snitch had disappeared from sight again.**

**Down in the stands, Dean Thomas was yelling, "Send him off, ref! Red card!"**

"**What are you talking about, Dean?" said Ron.**

"**Red card!" said Dean furiously. "In soccer you get shown the red card and you're out of the game!"**

"**But this isn't soccer, Dean," Ron reminded him.**

**Hagrid, however, was on Dean's side.**

"**They oughta change the rules. Flint coulda knocked Harry outta the air."**

"But fouls are part of the game." All the Quidditch fans argued.

"And they hurt." All the Quidditch players groaned.

**Lee Jordan was finding it difficult not to take sides.**

"**So — after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating —"**

"**Jordan!" growled Professor McGonagall.**

"**I mean, after that open and revolting foul…"**

"**_Jordan, I'm warning you_**—**"**

"Sorry Professor but that was the complete truth." Even the Slytherins agreed to Katie's statement.

"**All right, all right. Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor Seeker, which could happen to anyone, I'm sure,**(The laughter started again with all the students but a few joining in) **so a penalty to Gryffindor, taken by Spinnet, who puts it away, no trouble, and we continue play, Gryffindor still in possession."**

**It was as Harry dodged another Bludger, which went spinning dangerously past his head, that it happened.**

People leaned further towards Lee.

**His broom gave a sudden, frightening lurch. For a split second, he thought he was going to fall. He gripped the broom tightly with both his hands and knees. He'd never felt anything like that. It happened again. It was as though the broom was trying to buck him off. But Nimbus Two Thousands did not suddenly decide to buck their riders off.**

"No they don't." Remus' eyes narrowed.

**Harry tried to turn back toward the Gryffindor goal-posts — he had half a mind to ask Wood to call time-out — and then he realized that his broom was completely out of his control. He couldn't turn it. He couldn't direct it at all. It was zigzagging through the air, and every now and then making violent swishing movements that almost unseated him.**

**Lee was still commentating.**

"What?" Came the general out cry. How can he not notice that?

"**Slytherin in possession — Flint with the Quaffle — passes Spinnet — passes Bell — hit hard in the face by a Bludger, hope it broke his nose — only joking, Professor — Slytherins score — A no…"**

**The Slytherins were cheering. No one seemed to have noticed that Harry's broom was behaving strangely. It was carrying him slowly higher, away from the game, jerking and twitching as it went.**

"Oh dear, Oh dear." Molly started chanting with Arthur trying to calm her down.

"**Dunno what Harry thinks he's doing," Hagrid mumbled. He stared through his binoculars. "If I didn' know better, I'd say he'd lost control of his broom…but he can't have…"**

**Suddenly, people were pointing up at Harry all over the stands.**

"It's about time." A little first year said looking pale.

**His broom had started to roll over and over, with him only just managing to hold on. Then the whole crowd gasped. Harry's broom had given a wild jerk and Harry swung off it. He was now dangling from it, holding on with only one hand.**

**Alex was staring up at him, horrified.**

Sirius placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. Alex glanced at her twin; he was still there. She wasn't hallucinating, right?

"**Did something happen to it when Flint blocked him?" Seamus whispered.**

"**Can't have," Hagrid said, his voice shaking. "Can't nothing interfere with a broomstick except powerful Dark magic — no kid could do that to a Nimbus Two Thousand."**

The older students nodded.

**At these words, Hermione seized Hagrid's binoculars, but instead of looking up at Harry, she started looking frantically at the crowd.**

"**What are you doing?" moaned Ron, gray-faced.**

"**I knew it," Hermione gasped, "Snape — look."**

**Ron grabbed the binoculars. Snape was in the middle of the stands opposite them. He had his eyes fixed on Harry and was muttering nonstop under his breath.**

"That could also be the counter curse." Alicia said.

"I haven't read to that part yet!" argued Hermione.

"**He's doing something — jinxing the broom," said Hermione.**

"**What should we do?"**

"**Leave it to me."**

**Before Ron could say another word, Hermione had disappeared. Ron turned the binoculars back on Harry.**

**His broom was vibrating so hard, it was almost impossible for him to hang on much longer. The whole crowd was on its feet, watching, terrified, as Alex and the Weasleys flew up to try and pull Harry safely onto one of their brooms, but it was no good – every time they got near him, the broom would jump higher still. The twins dropped lower and circled beneath him, obviously hoping to catch him if he fell, while Alex flew above him in case the broom rose any higher and she'd be ready to yank him off.**

Molly smiled at her boys, and Remus and Tonks grinned at Alex.

"Thanks guys." Harry smiled.

"Screw house rivalries. I wasn't about to let my twin get wiped off the field." Alex quoted Hermione's previous words in their first year.

"Like we'd let our - "

" - little brother get hurt." Fred and George chorused.

**Marcus Flint seized the Quaffle and scored five times without anyone noticing.**

A few Gryffindors blinked.

"Wood actually let those in?" Katie gasped in disbelief.

Oliver nodded. "I was worried about Harry too."

"Harry, you've done the impossible!" cried Alicia.

"You've made Wood forget about quidditch!" said Angelina.

Oliver scowled.

"**Come on, Hermione," Ron muttered desperately.**

**Hermione had fought her way across to the stand where Snape stood, and was now racing along the row behind him; she didn't even stop to say sorry as she knocked Professor Quirrell headfirst into the row in front.**

Hermione's eyes widened. "You mean if I hadn't... Oh, Merlin!"

Ron gave her a side-hug. "You saved his life 'Mione." Hermione blushed at the contact and rested her head on his shoulder.

Harry's eyebrows shot up, and his eyes met Alex's across the tables. She nodded; they were so going to get those two together.

**Reaching Snape, she crouched down, pulled out her wand, and whispered a few, well-chosen words. Bright blue flames shot from her wand onto the hem of Snape's robes.**

"MS. GRANGER!" Snape bellowed, making Hermione flinch. "50 points from - "

"Please, Severus, the child did nothing wrong." Dumbledore intervened. "She was merely trying to save her friend."

Snape kept quiet, his nostrils still flaring.

**It took perhaps thirty seconds for Snape to realize that he was on fire.**

"Why so long?" Sirius mocked, making Snape's temper flare.

**A sudden yelp told her she had done her job. Scooping the fire off him into a little jar in her pocket, she scrambled back along the row — Snape would never know what had happened.**

"I do now." Snape commented bitterly.

**It was enough. Up in the air, Harry was suddenly able to clamber back on to his broom, and Alex sighed in relief.**

"**Neville, you can look!" Ron said. Neville had been sobbing into Hagrid's jacket for the last five minutes.**

"Thanks for caring." Harry smiled at Neville.

"No problem, mate."

**Harry was speeding toward the ground when the crowd saw him clap his hand to his mouth as though he was about to be sick — he hit the field on all fours — coughed —****and something gold fell into his hand.**

"No way." a first year gasped.

"Way." Those who had witnessed the match chorused as one.

**In the air with the rest of her team, Alex was gaping before her lips turned up into a smirk. "You're bloody kidding me." She really didn't care that Gryffindor had won, but she really did marvel at her brother's luck. Whether it was a good or bad thing; she wasn't sure.**

"When I've got a clue, I'll tell you." Harry chuckled.

**"I've got the Snitch!" Harry shouted, waving it above his head, and the game ended in complete confusion.**

"**He didn't****_catch_****it, he nearly****_swallowed_****it," Flint was still howling twenty minutes later,**

"How did you two become friends again?" Ginny asked as she glanced between Alex and Marcus. Both shrugged.

**but it made no difference — Harry hadn't broken any rules and Lee Jordan was still happily shouting the results — Gryffindor had won by one hundred and seventy points to ninety. Harry heard none of this, though. He was being made a cup of strong tea back in Hagrid's hut, with Ron, Alex and Hermione.**

"So that's why we couldn't find you." the Gyffindor team chorused.

"**It was Snape," Ron was explaining, "Hermione and I saw him. He was cursing your broomstick, muttering, he wouldn't take his eyes off you."**

"**Rubbish," said Hagrid, who hadn't heard a word of what had gone on next to him in the stands. "Why would Snape do somethin' like that?"**

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at one another, wondering what to tell him. Harry decided on the truth.**

"**I found out something about him," he told Hagrid. "He tried to get past that three-headed dog on Halloween. It bit him. We think he was trying to steal whatever it's guarding."**

"Blunt." Tonks snickered.

**Hagrid dropped the teapot.**

"**How do you know about Fluffy?" he said.**

"Fluffy? Asked Terry.

"Fluffy." Hagrid confirmed.

"But Fluffy?" said an astounded Seamus.

"Fluffy." Hagrid repeated.

"I'm hexing the next person who says Fluffy." Alex huffed and Lee gave her a nervous look. "Say it."

"**_Fluffy_****?"**

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny, Blaise, Daphne, Astoria and Theo laughed when Alex groaned and rested her head on Theo's shoulder.

"**Yeah — he's mine —****bought him off a Greek chappie I met in the pub las' year — I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the —"**

"**Yes?" said Harry eagerly.**

"**Now, don't ask me anymore," said Hagrid gruffly. "That's top secret, that is."**

"**But Snape's trying to****_steal_****it."**

"**Rubbish," said Hagrid again. "Snape's a Hogwarts teacher, he'd do nothin' of the sort."**

"**So why did he just try and kill Harry?" cried Hermione.**

**The afternoon's events certainly seemed to have changed her mind about Snape.**

Hermione looked sheepish.

**Alex on the other hand, had enough. "He wouldn't do that!" she snapped. "Do you even think Professor Dumbledore would let Professor Snape teach if was trying to kill the students?"**

Dumbledore and Snape nodded.

**"Oh, quit trying to defend him Alex! We all know he's a git!"**

**_SMACK!_**

**Alex had whacked Ron upside the head.**

Many snorted at this. It was a regular occurrence now.

**"I know you lot don't like him, but please don't insult him or any other Slytherins in front of me." said Alex. "Unless of course, you're talking about Malfoy. The insults are perfectly welcome."**

"I'm wounded, Potter." Malfoy placed a hand on his chest in mock hurt.

Alex chuckled. "For the record, you were a right arse before this whole frenemy thing started."

**"I know a jinx when I see one, Hagrid, I've read all about them! You've got to keep eye contact, and Snape wasn't blinking at all, I saw him!" Hermione chipped in.**

"Counter-curse." Astoria chimed.

"**I'm tellin' yeh, yer wrong!" said Hagrid hotly. "I don' know why Harry's broom acted like that, but Alex is right. Snape wouldn' try an' kill a student! Now, listen to me, all four of yeh — yer meddlin' in things that don' concern yeh. It's dangerous. You forget that dog, an' you forget what it's guardin', that's between Professor Dumbledore an' Nicolas Flamel —"**

"Hagrid." All the teachers groaned.

Umbridge sneered.

"**Aha!" the twins chorused, "so there's someone called Nicolas Flamel involved, is there?"**

**Hagrid looked furious with himself.**

"I was." Hagrid shook his head.

"That's the chapter." Lee called. "Who's next?"

"I'll read!" said Astoria, and the book was levitated to her.

* * *

**I hope you all liked this chapter. Anyways, please review!**

** ~Cassandra**


	12. The Mirror of Erised

**Guys, be sure to check out my new story "Behind Those Emerald Eyes". It's one of those twins becoming the next "dark lord and lady" kind of things, but with my own special twists. Don't worry, I'm going to be updating my stories regularly, so you won't have to worry about me not updating.**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter; it all belongs to J.K Rowling and Warner Brothers Inc. However, I do own Alex.

**Pairings:** All are canon with the exception of my Theo/OC pairing.

* * *

"**The Mirror of Erised**" Astoria read.

Harry and Alex glanced at each other nervously.

"Can we skip this chapter?" Harry spoke.

"No, we must read all the chapters." argued Umbitch-erm, Umbridge.

Daphne glanced at Alex. She had told her all about the mirror, what she and her brother had seen. She felt sad for them both. "But Professor -"

"No buts, Miss Potter." Umbridge gave a sick smile. "Unless you'd prefer another detention,"

To the suprise of the Slytherins' (and a fair few Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, and Ravenclaws), Alex reluctantly complied. Harry motioned for Astoria to continue before Alex thought twice about getting detention.

**Christmas was coming. One morning in mid-December, Hogwarts woke to find itself covered in several feet of snow. The lake froze solid and the Weasley twins were punished for bewitching several snowballs so that they followed Quirrell around, bouncing off the back of his turban.**

The people who knew what was behind the turban looked pale and hoped to Merlin that Voldermort never found out who had been pelting him with snowballs.

**The few owls that managed to battle their way through the stormy sky to deliver mail had to be nursed back to health by Hagrid before they could fly off again.**

**No one could wait for the holidays to start. While the Gryffindor common room and the Great Hall had roaring fires, the drafty corridors had become icy and a bitter wind rattled the windows in the classrooms, and the Slytherin common room had grown colder than it already was. Worst of all were Professor Snape's classes down in the dungeons, where their breath rose in a mist before them and they kept as close as possible to their hot cauldrons.**

"If you drink a few drops of warming potion before you enter my classroom you would be fine." sneered Snape.

"**I do feel so sorry," said Draco Malfoy, one Potions class, "for all those people who have to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas because they're not wanted at home."**

Malfoy flinched under a few stares he received.

**He was looking over at Harry as he spoke. Crabbe and Goyle chuckled. Harry, who was measuring out powdered spine of lionfish, ignored them. Malfoy had been even more unpleasant than usual since the Quidditch match. Disgusted that the Slytherins had lost, even more so since Alex was playing, he had tried to get everyone laughing at how a wide-mouthed tree frog would be replacing Harry as Seeker next.**

"Did you honestly think that would work?" Justin snickered.

**Then he'd realized that nobody found this funny, because they were all so impressed at the way Harry had managed to stay on his bucking broomstick. So Malfoy, jealous and angry,**

"I was not!"

**had gone back to taunting the twins about having no proper family.**

Remus' eyes flashed for a second as he stared at Malfoy, and Sirius was muttering about "disgusting malfoy spawn."

**It was true that neither were going back to Privet Drive for Christmas. Professor McGonagall had come around the week before, making a list of students who would be staying for the holidays, and Harry and Alex had signed up at once.**

"I should have noticed how eager you were." McGongall groaned.

**Harry didn't feel sorry for himself at all; this would probably be the best Christmas he'd ever had. Since most of the Slytherins were going home for the holidays, including all of Alex's dorm mates, Professor McGonagall had given her permission to spend time with Harry and Ron in the Gryffindor common room.**

"Thank you Professor." the twins piped, earning a smile from their head of house.

"You're welcome Potters."

**Ron and his brothers were staying, too, because Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were going to Romania****to visit Charlie.**

**When they left the dungeons at the end of Potions, they found a large fir tree blocking the corridor ahead. Two enormous feet sticking out at the bottom and a loud puffing sound told them that Hagrid was behind it.**

"**Hi, Hagrid, want any help?" Ron asked, sticking his head through the branches.**

"**Nah, I'm all right, thanks, Ron."**

"**Would you mind moving out of the way?" came Malfoy's cold drawl from behind them.**

"Git."

**"Are you trying to earn some extra money, Weasley? Hoping to be gamekeeper yourself when you leave Hogwarts, I suppose — that hut of Hagrid's must seem like a palace compared to what your family's used to."**

**Ron dived at Malfoy just as Snape came up the stairs.**

"The timing was too bloody good to be coincidental." said Millicent.

Alex raised an eyebrow at Malfoy across from her, and he shrugged in response, a smirk plastered on his face.

"**WEASLEY!"**

**Ron let go of the front of Malfoy's robes.**

"**He was provoked, Professor Snape," said Hagrid, sticking his huge hairy face out from behind the tree. "Malfoy was insultin' his family."**

"**Be that as it may, fighting is against Hogwarts rules, Hagrid," said Snape silkily. "Five points from Gryffindor, Weasley, and be grateful it isn't more. Move along, all of you."**

**Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle pushed roughly past the tree, scattering needles everywhere and smirking.**

Cue more nasty looks.

"**I'll get him," said Ron, grinding his teeth at Malfoy's back, "one of these days, I'll get him —"**

"**I hate them both," said Harry, "Malfoy and Snape."**

Harry had a sheepish expression.

**Ron nodded in agreement.**"**How the bloody hell does Alex put up with them?"**

"It's a gift." Daphne deadpanned. "Well, that and Professor Snape likes her because, one: she's a Slytherin,"

"And two: she doesn't go accusing him of stealing something valuable." Astoria added, "Oh, and she doesn't call him a git.

"That still doesn't explain how she and Malfoy are actually civil with each other." Harry put in, rendering the Slytherins (bar Alex and Malfoy) confused. That was a good point.

"Sadly, that remains a mystery to us all." Marcus shook his head. "I remember in their second year, they were brutal to each other during quidditch practice, then they were joking around in the end of third year. It's like a bloody alternate universe."

Malfoy and Alex shared a smirk, which of course, their peers and Remus and Tonks had seen. It made them all the more confused.

**"Come on, cheer up, it's nearly Christmas," said Hagrid. "Tell yeh what, come with me an' see the Great Hall, looks a treat."**

**So the three of them followed Hagrid and his tree off to the Great Hall, where Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick were busy with the Christmas decorations.**

"**Ah, Hagrid, the last tree — put it in the far corner, would you?"**

**The hall looked spectacular.**

**Festoons of holly and mistletoe hung all around the walls, and no less than twelve towering Christmas trees stood around the room, some sparkling with tiny icicles, some glittering with hundreds of candles.**

"Wow." Everyone smiled, that sounded incredible and really looked it.

"**How many days you got left until yer holidays?" Hagrid asked.**

"**Just one," said Hermione. "And that reminds me — Harry, Ron, we've got half an hour before lunch, we should be in the library."**

"**Oh yeah, you're right," said Ron, tearing his eyes away from Professor Flitwick, who had golden bubbles blossoming out of his wand and was trailing them over the branches of the new tree.**

"**The library?" said Hagrid, following them out of the hall. "Just before the holidays? Bit keen, aren't yeh?"**

"**Oh, we're not working," Harry told him brightly. "Ever since you mentioned Nicolas Flamel we've been trying to find out who he is."**

"Of course." The teachers groaned.

"**You****_what_****?" Hagrid looked shocked. "Listen here — I've told yeh — drop it. It's nothin' to you what that dog's guardin'."**

"**We just want to know who Nicolas Flamel is, that's all," said Hermione.**

"Of course." The students imitated.

"**Unless you'd like to tell us and save us the trouble?" Harry added. "We must've been through hundreds of books already and we can't find him anywhere — just give us a hint — I know I've read his name somewhere."**

"**I'm sayin' nothin', said Hagrid flatly.**

"On a bloody chocolate frog card." Hermione muttered bitterly.

"**Just have to find out for ourselves, then," said Ron, and they left Hagrid looking disgruntled and hurried off to the library.**

**They had indeed been searching books for Flamel's name ever since Hagrid had let it slip, because how else were they going to find out what Snape was trying to steal? The trouble was, it was very hard to know where to begin, not knowing what Flamel might have done to get himself into a book. He wasn't in****_Great Wizards of the Twentieth Century_****, or****_Notable Magical Names of Our Time_****; he was missing, too, from_Important Modern Magical Discoveries_, and****_A Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry_****.**

"Probably because he wasn't modern." said Oliver

**And then, of course, there was the sheer size of the library; tens of thousands of books; thousands of shelves; hundreds of narrow rows.**

"Oh, the horror!" Fred and George cried, only to be whacked on the head by Molly. "OW! Mum, that hurt!" they whined.

**Hermione took out a list of subjects and titles she had decided to search while Ron strode off down a row of books and started pulling them off the shelves at random. Harry wandered over to the Restricted Section. He had been wondering for a while if Flamel wasn't somewhere in there. Unfortunately, you needed a specially signed note from one of the teachers to look in any of the restricted books, and he knew he'd never get one.**

The trio, plus Alex snorted.

**These were the books containing powerful Dark Magic never taught at Hogwarts, and only read by older students studying advanced Defence Against the Dark Arts.**

"**What are you looking for, boy?"**

"**Nothing," said Harry.**

**Madam Pince the librarian brandished a feather duster at him.**

Sirius and Remus shuddered and Madam Pince chuckled.

"Bloody hell, not the feather duster!" Sirius cried, horrified.

"What happened with the feather duster?" Ginny asked.

"We can't say; it's on our list of unspeakable things. It was awful though." said Remus.

"Took us hours to get all the feathers out." muttered Sirius.

"**You'd better get out, then. Go on — out!"**

**Wishing he'd been a bit quicker at thinking up some story, Harry left the library. He, Ron, and Hermione had already agreed they'd better not ask Madam Pince where they could find Flamel. They were sure she'd be able to tell them, but they couldn't risk Snape hearing what they were up to.**

A lot of people nodded approvingly..

**Harry waited outside in the corridor to see if the other two had found anything, but he wasn't very hopeful. They had been looking for a fortnight, after all, but as they only had odd moments between lessons it wasn't surprising they'd found nothing. What they really needed was a nice long search without Madam Pince breathing down their necks.**

Snickers echoed of the stone walls.

**Five minutes later, Ron and Hermione joined him, shaking their heads. They went off to lunch.**

"**You will keep looking while I'm away, won't you?" said Hermione. "And send me an owl if you find anything."**

"**And you could ask your parents if they know who Flamel is," said Ron. "It'd be safe to ask them."**

"**Very safe, as they're both dentists," said Hermione.**

"He's known in the muggle world as myth." Justin added in.

**Once the holidays had started, Ron and Harry were having too good a time to think much about Flamel.**

People snickered.

**They had brought Alex to the dormitory and had it all to themselves and the common room was far emptier than usual, so they were able to get the good armchairs by the fire. They sat by the hour eating anything they could spear on a toasting fork — bread, English muffins, marshmallows — and plotting ways of getting Malfoy expelled, which were fun to talk about even if they wouldn't work.**

Many Gryffindors and Slytherins had to laugh at that, and Malfoy looked affronted.

"Alex's could have worked to an extent, but we'd probably get expelled too." Harry chuckled.

"No we wouldn't. If we did, we'd just have to blame your unbelievable luck if we actually get caught." Alex teased, making Ron and Hermione laugh even more.

**Ron also started teaching the twins wizard chess. This was exactly like Muggle chess except that the figures were alive, which made it a lot like directing troops in battle. Ron's set was very old and battered. Like everything else he owned, it had once belonged to someone else in his family — in this case, his grandfather. However, old chessmen weren't a drawback at all. Ron knew them so well he never had trouble getting them to do what he wanted.**

Ron smiled proudly.

"I would like to play against you sometime, Mr. Weasley." said McGonagall.

**Alex settled on watching them instead. She sucked at chess.**

Astoria giggled. "That's true."

**Harry played with chessmen Seamus Finnigan had lent him, and they didn't trust him at all.**

Seamus smiled sheepishly. "Sorry mate."

**He wasn't a very good player yet and they kept shouting different bits of advice at him, which was confusing. "Don't send me there, can't you see his knight? Send****_him_****, we can afford to lose****_him_****."**

Ron shook his head sadly.

**On Christmas Eve, Harry and Alex shared a bed in the boy's dorm, turns out that only boys weren't allowed in the girl's dorms.**

"What?" Many chorused in the hall, and the teacher's groaned.

"That's so unfair!" said Lee.

**both went to bed looking forward to the next day for the food and the fun, but not expecting any presents at all.**

People looked sad at that. It just wasn't right.

**When they woke early in the morning, however, the first thing they saw was a small pile of packages at the foot of Harry's bed.**

"**Merry Christmas," said Ron sleepily as Harry scrambled out of bed and pulled on his bathrobe, Alex pulling on a bathrobe she borrowed from Harry.**

"**You, too," the twins chorused.**

**"Will you look at this? We've got some presents!" said Alex excitedly.**

"**What did you expect, turnips?" said Ron, turning to his own pile, which was a lot bigger than Harry's or Alex's.**

"I hadn't noticed." Ron looked apologetic.

**Harry picked up the top parcel. It was wrapped in thick brown paper and scrawled across it was****_To Harry, from Hagrid_****. Inside was a roughly cut wooden flute. Hagrid had obviously whittled it himself. Harry blew it — it sounded a bit like an owl.**

"Hedwig loves it when I play it for her." Harry smiled.

**Alex had gotten a whistle wrapped in****brown paper and scrawled across it was****_To Alex, from Hagrid_****.****But when she blew it, it came out as a hiss. Alex looked startled for a moment, before she grinned.**

**Blaise had sent her a packet of licorice wands, and Daphne had sent her a grey scarf. This somewhat made her feel bad; she hadn't gotten them anything!**

"You don't need to worry about that." Blaise and Daphne smiled.

**The next two, very small parcel contained a note.**

**_We received your message and enclose your Christmas present. From Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia_****. Taped to the note was a fifty-pence piece.**

"**That's friendly," said Harry. Alex merely raised an eyebrow and pocketed the pence piece.**

"For them it is."

**Ron was fascinated by the fifty pence.**

"**_Weird!_****" he said, 'What a shape! This is****_money_****?"**

Arthur smiled at his son.

"**You can keep it," said Harry, laughing at how pleased Ron was.**

"Like father like son." Hermione grinned

"**Hagrid and our aunt and uncle — so who sent these?"**

"**I think I know who that one's from," said Ron, turning a bit pink and pointing to a pair of identical, very lumpy parcels. "My mum. I told her you didn't expect any presents and — oh, no," he groaned, "she's made you a Weasley sweater."**

"What's wrong with them?" Fred, George, Ginny and Percy demanded.

"Nothing. I just thought Harry or Alex wouldn't like one."

**Harry had torn open the parcel to find a thick, hand-knitted sweater in emerald green**

"Why green?" Daphne spoke up.

"I knew they had Lily's eyes." Molly smiled.

**and a large box of homemade fudge.**

"That was delicious Mrs. Weasley." Molly beamed at Alex.

**"Every year she makes us a sweater," said Ron, unwrapping his own, "and mine's****_always_****maroon."**

"That's my favourite mum." Percy said.

"**That's really nice of her," said Harry, trying the fudge, which was very tasty.**

**Alex pulled on her own sweater with a wide smile. Hers was the same emerald green as Harry's, but there was a small grey 'S' stitched on the upper left.**

**Another present also contained candy — a large box of Chocolate Frogs (for Harry)**

"We could have done without all those hours in the library." Ron groaned.

**and more packets of licorice wands (for Alex) from Hermione.**

"Unhealthy obsession with sweets." Blaise teased.

**This only left one parcel. Harry picked it up and felt it.**

"Minds out of the gutter!" Professor Vector reprimanded at the snickers.

**It was very light. He unwrapped it.**

**Something fluid and silvery gray went slithering to the floor where it lay in gleaming folds. Ron gasped.**

As did many around the room, while Sirius and Remus grinned in recognition. Umbridge's eyes gleamed evilly, which Alex had caught and she glanced at Dumbledore.

"Professor, family heirloom's can't be confiscated, right?" she asked, and relief flooded her and Harry at Dumbledore's nod.

"**I've heard of those," he said in a hushed voice, dropping the box of Every Flavour Beans he'd gotten from Hermione. "If that's what I think it is — they're really rare, and****_really_****valuable."**

"**What is it?"**

**Harry picked the shining, silvery cloth off the floor. It was strange to the touch, like water woven into material.**

"**It's an invisibility cloak," said Ron, a look of awe on his face. "I'm sure it is — try it on."**

**Harry threw the cloak around his shoulders; Alex gasped and Ron gave a yell.**

"And that's why I came." Percy said.

"**It****_is!_****Look down!"**

**Harry looked down at his feet, but they were gone. He dashed to the mirror. Sure enough, his reflection looked back at him, just his head suspended in midair, his body completely invisible. He pulled the cloak over his head and his reflection vanished completely.**

Some people looked at the twins with envy.

"So that's how you sneak around without me seeing you." Malfoy shook his head.

"Mr. Potter give me the cloak." Umbridge demanded with a sick grin.

"I'm afraid you cannot do that, Dolores. You see, the cloak is a Potter family heirloom, and therefore, belong to Harry and Alex by law." Dumbledore explained, while Umbridge scowled.

Harry and Alex exchanged gleeful expressions.

"**There's a note!" said Ron suddenly. "A note fell out of it!"**

**Harry pulled off the cloak and Alex seized the letter. Written in narrow, loopy writing she had never seen before were the following words:**

**_Your father left this in my possession before he died. It is time it was returned to you._**

**_Use it well._**

**_A Very Merry Christmas to you._**

"Ah, the good old days." Sirius sighed happily.

**There was no signature.**

**Alex stared at the note and handed it to Harry, who read it over. Ron was admiring the cloak.**

"**I'd give****_anything_****for one of these," he said. "_Anything_. What's the matter?"**

"**Nothing," said Alex. She felt very strange. Who had sent the cloak? Had it really once belonged to their father?**

"Dumbledore and yes." McGonagall said, eyeing Sirius and Remus who both smiled michcheivously.

**Oh, the things she could pull of with the cloak. She could probably set off a dungbomb in the Slytherin boys' dormitory, and they would never suspect it was her. Maybe she could bring in Harry as well.**

"That was you?" was the chorus amongst the Slytherin boys. Theo, Blaise and Malfoy looked especially surprised; they had been in the room when the bombs had gone off.

Snape was trying to look disapproving, as McGonagall failed at it. Dumbledore was chuckling; Harry and Hermione were grinning from ear-to-ear (they had helped her with the prank, Hermione had charmed the dungbombs to delay the time it goes off and Harry had been with her under the cloak); Ron was laughing hysterically with Sirius, and Remus was shaking his head. Marauders reincarnated...

Fred and George were shocked and proud at the same time.

**Before either twin could say or think anything else, the dormitory door was flung open and Fred and George Weasley bounded in. Harry stuffed the cloak quickly out of sight. He didn't feel like sharing it with anyone else yet.**

"We get it."

"**Merry Christmas!"**

"**Hey, look — Harry and Alex have got Weasley sweaters, too!"**

**Fred and George were wearing blue sweaters, one with a large yellow F on it, the other a G.**

"**Theirs are better than ours, though," said Fred, holding up Harry's sweater. "She obviously makes more of an effort if you're not family."**

"I was joking." Fred defended.

"**Why aren't you wearing yours, Ron?" George demanded. "Come on, get it on, they're lovely****and warm."**

"**I hate maroon," Ron moaned half-heartedly as he pulled it over his head.**

"**You haven't got a letter on yours, Harry. The 'S' on Alex's might stand for Slytherin though." George observed. "I suppose she thinks you don't forget your name. But we're not stupid — we know we're called Gred and Forge."**

"You wear them the wrong way round." Ginny accused.

"They wear them the right way and let everyone think there the wrong way around." Harry cleared as the twins nodded.

**"What's all this noise?"**

**Percy Weasley stuck his head through the door, looking disapproving. He had clearly gotten halfway through unwrapping his presents as he, too, carried a lumpy sweater over his arm, which Fred seized.**

"**P for prefect! Get it on, Percy, come on, we're all wearing ours, even Harry and Alex got one."**

"**I — don't — want —" said Percy thickly, as the twins forced the sweater over his head, knocking his glasses askew.**

Everyone laughed, even Percy.

"**And you're not sitting with the prefects today, either," said George. "Christmas is a time for family."**

Molly and Arthur smiled.

**They frog-marched Percy from the room, his arms pinned to his side by his sweater.**

Ron, Alex and Harry laughed.

**The twins had never in all their lives had such a Christmas dinner. A hundred fat, roast turkeys; mountains of roast and boiled potatoes; platters of chipolatas; tureens of buttered peas, silver boats of thick, rich gravy and cranberry sauce –**

"Merlin, we just had dinner!" Hermione exclaimed as Ron's stomach growled.

**and stacks of wizard crackers every few feet along the table. These fantastic party favours were nothing like the feeble Muggle ones the Dursleys usually bought, with their little plastic toys and their flimsy paper hats inside. Harry pulled a wizard cracker with Fred and it didn't just bang, it went off with a blast like a cannon and engulfed them all in a cloud of blue smoke, while from the inside exploded a rear admiral's hat and several live, white mice.**

**Up at the High Table, Dumbledore had swapped his pointed wizard's hat for a flowered bonnet, and was chuckling merrily at a joke Professor Flitwick had just read him.**

People laughed at their odd headmaster.

**Flaming Christmas puddings followed the turkey. Percy nearly broke his teeth on a silver sickle embedded in his slice. Harry watched Hagrid getting redder and redder in the face as he called for more wine, finally kissing Professor McGonagall on the cheek, who, to Harry's amazement, giggled and blushed, her top hat lopsided.**

Many eyes turned to the transfiguration professor.

"Professor McGonagall? Drunk?" Remus asked disbelievingly.

**When the twins had finally left the table, they were laden down with a stack of things out of the crackers, including a pack of non-explodable, luminous balloons, a Grow-Your-Own-Warts kit, and his own new wizard chess set. The white mice had disappeared and Harry had a nasty feeling they were going to end up as Mrs. Norris's Christmas dinner.**

Several people shuddered thinking how true that was.

**The twins and the Weasleys spent a happy afternoon having a furious snowball fight on the grounds. At first, Ron had suggested a Gryffindor versus Slytherin snowball war, and Alex was bombarded with piles of snowballs.**

All those present laughed.

**Then, the tables turned when everyone ganged up on Ron. By the time they were done pelting him, only Ron's head was sticking out the pile of snow.**

More laughter.

**Then, cold, wet, and gasping for breath, they returned to the fire in the Gryffindor common room, where Harry broke in his new chess set by losing spectacularly to Ron. He suspected he wouldn't have lost so badly if Percy hadn't tried to help him so much.**

The Weasleys laughed, Percy was rubbish at chess.

**After a meal of turkey sandwiches, crumpets, trifle, and Christmas cake, everyone felt too full and sleepy to do much before bed except sit and watch Percy chase Fred and George all over Gryffindor tower because they'd stolen his prefect badge.**

Once again the people who had been present laughed.

**It had been their best Christmas day ever. Yet something had been nagging at the back of Harry's mind all day. Not until he climbed into bed with Alex was he free to think about it: the invisibility cloak and whoever had sent it.**

**Ron, full of turkey and cake and with nothing mysterious to bother him, fell asleep almost as soon as he'd drawn the curtains of his four-poster.**

"Typical." Ginny snorted.

**When Alex nodded off, Harry leaned over the side of his own bed and pulled the cloak out from under it.**

**Their father's…this had been their father's. He let the material flow over his hands, smoother than silk, light as air.****_Use it well_****, the note had said.**

**He had to try it, now. He slipped out of bed, and Alex stirred and opened her eyes. She looked at him in confusion as he wrapped the cloak around himself. Looking down at his legs, he saw only moonlight and shadows. It was a very funny feeling.**

"You use to it yet?" Harry nodded at Remus.

**_Use it well_****.**

**Suddenly, Harry felt wide-awake.**

**"You're not going without me, are you?" Alex suddenly piped up, her voice in a whisper. Harry didn't want her to get in trouble, but he couldn't say no to her either. Sighing, Harry reluctantly lifted the cloak and motioned for her to go under.**

**Alex grinned and did so. Their sibling relationship was rough now, but she was glad that Harry was still willing to bring her along.**

"Always." Harry said as he and Alex shared a smile.

Snape faltered for a moment, and a few people began tearing up.

**The whole of Hogwarts was open to them in this cloak. Excitement flooded through them as they stood there in the dark and silence. They could go anywhere in this, anywhere, and Filch would never know.**

**Ron grunted in his sleep. Should Harry wake him? Something held him back — their father's cloak — he felt that this time — the first time — he wanted to use it with only Alex.**

"I understand." Ron nodded.

**He and Alex crept out of the dormitory, down the stairs, across the common room, and climbed through the portrait hole.**

"**Who's there?" squawked the Fat Lady.**

"You think she'd be used to it by now." said Sirius.

**Neither twin said anything. They walked quickly down the corridor.**

**Where should they go? Alex stopped, her heart racing, and thought. Harry paused beside her in confusion. And then it came to him. He and Alex shared a look, and she nodded, letting him know that she was thinking along the same lines.**

"When don't you?"

**The Restricted Section in the library. They'd be able to read as long as they liked, as long as it took to find out who Flamel was.**

"The library?" squeaked Fred.

George pretended to tear up. "We are so disappointed in you both!"

**They set off, Harry drawing the invisibility cloak tight around them as they walked.**

**The library was pitch-black and very eerie. Harry lit a lamp to see his way along the rows of books. The lamp looked as if it was floating along in midair, and even though Harry could feel his arm supporting it, the sight gave him the creeps.**

Cue laughs and nods of agreement.

**The Restricted Section was right at the back of the library. Stepping carefully over the rope that separated these books from the rest of the library, Harry held up his lamp to read the titles.**

**They didn't tell the twins much. Their peeling, faded gold letters spelled words in languages neither Harry nor Alex could understand. Some had no title at all. One book had a dark stain on it that looked horribly like blood.**

"Probably is." Shuddered a seventh year Slytherin.

**The hairs on the back of Alex's neck prickled. Maybe she was imagining it, maybe not, but she****thought a faint whispering was coming from the books, as though they knew someone was there who shouldn't be.**

"The protection charms." said Madam Pince.

**They had to start somewhere. Setting the lamp down carefully on the floor, Harry looked along the bottom shelf for an interesting looking book. A large black and silver volume caught his eye. He pulled it out with difficulty, because it was very heavy, and, balancing it on his knee, let it fall open.**

"No not that one." Remus groaned.

**A piercing, bloodcurdling shriek split the silence — the book was screaming!**

"You had to pick the one screaming book in the entire restricted section." Theo chuckled.

**Alex snatched it from Harry and snapped it shut, all the while glaring at him, but the shriek went on and on, one high, unbroken, ear-splitting note. They stumbled backward and knocked over the lamp, which went out at once. Panicking, they heard footsteps coming down the corridor outside — Alex stuffed the shrieking book back on the shelf, and she and Harry ran for it. They passed Filch in the doorway; Filch's pale, wild eyes looked straight through him, and the twins slipped under Filch's outstretched arm and streaked off up the corridor, the book's shrieks still ringing in their ears. Alex was sure she had gone deaf.**

People looked at the twins in awe.

**Harry came to a sudden halt in front of a tall suit of armour, Alex nearly tripping as he did so. They had been so busy getting away from the library, they hadn't paid attention to where they were going.**

**Perhaps because it was dark, neither recognized where they were at all. There was a suit of armour near the kitchens, Harry knew, but they must be five floors above there.**

Many were impressed.

"**You asked me to come directly to you, Professor, if anyone was wandering around at night, and somebody's been in the library Restricted Section."**

**Harry felt the blood drain out of his face, and Alex's throat immediately felt dry. Wherever he was, Filch must know a shortcut, because his soft, greasy voice was getting nearer, and to the twins' horror, it was Snape who replied, "The Restricted Section? Well, they can't be far, we'll catch them."**

"Uh... I can explain?" Alex squeaked and held Theo's hand as Snape sent her a scolding look.

"I'm not taking house points, Miss Potter, but we are going to talk about this once we have read everything."

"Yes, sir."

**Harry stood rooted to the spot as Filch and Snape came around the corner ahead. They couldn't see them, of course, but it was a narrow corridor and if they came much nearer they'd knock right into them — the cloak didn't stop them from being solid.**

"Something the rat forgot." Remus scowled.

**Alex tugged on Harry's sleeve and they backed away as quietly as they could. A door stood ajar to their left. It was their only hope. They squeezed through it, one after the other, holding their breath while making sure the cloak covered them both, trying not to move it, and to their relief they both managed to get inside the room without Snape or Filch noticing anything. They walked straight past, and the twins leaned against the wall, breathing deeply, listening to their footsteps dying away. That had been close, very close. It was a few seconds before Alex noticed anything about the room they had hidden in.**

"Constant Vigilance!" Tonks shrieked, and Remus covered his ears, while everyone else jumped. "Sorry Remus."

**It looked like an unused classroom. The dark shapes of desks and chairs were piled against the walls, and there was an upturned wastepaper basket – but propped against the wall facing him was something that didn't look as if it belonged there, something that looked as if someone had just put it there to keep it out of the way.**

Dumbledore nodded.

**It was a magnificent mirror, as high as the ceiling, with an ornate gold frame, standing on two clawed feet. There was an inscription carved around the top:****_Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi_****.**

"I show not your face but your hearts desire. It's backwards." said Luna.

**Their panic fading now that there was no sound of Filch and Snape, Harry and Alex moved nearer to the mirror, wanting to look at themselves but see no reflection again. Harry stepped in front of it.**

**He had to clap his hands to his mouth to stop himself from screaming.**

Peoples heads shot up.

**He whirled around. His heart was pounding far more furiously than when the book had screamed — for he had seen not only himself in the mirror, but a whole crowd of people standing right behind him, even his twin, who wasn't even by his side.**

Eyebrows shot up.

**But the room was empty with the exception of him and Alex, the latter looking concerned.**

**"Harry, what is it? What did you see?"**

**Breathing very fast, Harry held his sister's hand and pulled her in front of the mirror as he turned slowly back.**

**There he was, reflected in it, white and scared-looking, Alex, who now appeared as terrified as he was, and there, reflected behind them, were at least ten others.**

More looks of confusion.

**Alex looked over her shoulder — but still, no one was there. Or were they all invisible, too? Were they in fact in a room full of invisible people and this mirror's trick was that it reflected them, invisible or not?**

"I don't think so."

**She looked in the mirror again. A woman standing right behind Harry's reflection was smiling at them and waving. Harry reached out a hand and felt the air behind him. If she was really there, he'd touch her, their reflections were so close together, but he felt only air – she and the others existed only in the mirror.**

Tears began streaming down Alex's cheeks and Remus took her in his arms comfortingly. Daphne looked at her friend sadly, Theo and the rest confused.

Harry tried to hold back his own tears. Sirius hugged him as Remus hugged Alex, and Ginny held his hand. Ron and Hermione glanced at each other, before looking back at Harry sympathetically.

**She was a very pretty woman. She had dark red hair and her eyes —_her eyes are just like ours_, Alex thought, edging a little closer to the glass. Bright green — exactly the same shape, but then she noticed that the woman was crying; smiling, but crying at the same time. The tall, thin, black-haired man standing next to her put his arm around her. He wore glasses, and his hair was very untidy. It stuck up at the back, just as Harry's did.**

People looked grave and a few were crying, even the Professors.

Remus tightened his grip, and Sirius swallowed as tears formed in his eyes. Snape looked down sadly.

**Harry was so close to the mirror now that his nose was nearly touching that of his reflection.**

"**Mum?" Alex whispered brokenly. "Dad?"**

**They just looked at them, smiling. And slowly, Harry looked into the faces of the other people in the mirror, and saw other pairs of green eyes like theirs, other noses like theirs, even a little old man who looked as though he had Harry's knobbly knees — the twins were looking at their family, for the first time in their lives.**

People were sobbing in the hall, and Astoria had to pause to wipe her eyes before she continued reading.

**The Potters smiled and waved at Harry and Alex and both stared hungrily back at them, Harry's hands were pressed flat against the glass as though he was hoping to fall right through it and reach them. He had a powerful kind of ache inside him, half joy, half terrible sadness. Alex only felt the pang in her chest, only now realizing how empty it seemed.**

**She too, glanced at the other's faces, before landing on a familiar one. Daphne was smiling at her, but she looked different. She looked older.**

Daphne looked up in surprise at the mention of her. Alex didn't tell her about this.

Harry hadn't seen them. At the time, he had seen his family, along with Ron and Hermione, so he listened.

**An older version of Blaise was standing next to her, smirking his usual Slytherin smirk.**

Blaise shook his head at her fondly.

**The sight of and older Theodore Nott made her confused. They weren't that close.**

"Yet," Adrian smirked weakly. Some Slytherins started snickering, and Theo raised an eyebrow despite everything and smiled. He had a chance...

**The person next to Theo nearly made her reel back in shock. The man was tall, steel grey eyes glinting as he stared at her with a smirk similar to Blaise's. She could recognize that sleek platinum blonde hair anywhere...**

"WHAT?" Harry and Ron suddenly straightened.

Solemn moment was over...

Apparently, they weren't the only ones in shock.

"No way," Fred gasped. "It can't be..."

George gulped. "It must be..."

**Why in Merlin's name was Draco Malfoy in the mirror staring at her?**

At the confirmation, Malfoy's jaw dropped, along with Sirius' and Remus'. Everyone else's eyes widened.

**Alex briefly wondered if Harry could see them as well. But as she saw how calm her brother was, she doubted it.**

"No kidding." Harry snorted. "And you didn't tell me this, why?"

**_Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi..._****I show not your face, but your heart's desire. Alex pondered this for a moment, yet it made no sense whatsoever. If the description was true, Malfoy wouldn't be here.**

"I guess it really didn't make sense at the time." said Malfoy somewhat understandingly, then he smirked. "You're heart's desire huh? I knew you couldn't resist the Malfoy charm, Potter."

Not seeing the look Theo gave Malfoy, Alex looked up, and raised an eyebrow. "If any relationship develops," Alex looked sick at the thought, "It would be anything _but_ romantic, Malfoy."

"It better not be romantic." Harry glared at Malfoy. "I don't fancy the idea of my sister dating a ferret. Don't get any ideas, Malfoy, or I'll hex you so bad you'll be in the Hospital Wing for weeks."

"And you ask why I didn't tell you..." Alex rolled her eyes.

**How long they stood there, the twins didn't know. The reflections did not fade and they looked and looked until a distant noise brought them back to their senses. They couldn't stay here, they had to find their way back to bed. Harry tore his eyes away from his mother's face, whispered, "I'll come back," and Alex pulled him with her as she hurried from the room.**

"Don't go back!" Angelina protested weakly.

"**You could have woken me up," said Ron, crossly.**

"**You can come tonight, I'm going back, I want to show you the mirror." said Harry, while Alex glanced between them doubtfully.**

"**I'd like to see your mum and dad," Ron said eagerly.**

"**And I want to see all your family, all the Weasleys, you'll be able to show me your other brothers and everyone." said Harry excitedly.**

"**You can see them any old time," said Ron. "Just come round my house this summer. Anyway, maybe it only shows dead people. Shame about not finding Flamel, though. Have some bacon or something, why aren't you eating anything?"**

"Trust Ron to be concerned about what your eating." Hermione laughed, the tense atmosphere slowly vanishing.

**Harry couldn't eat. He had seen his parents and would be seeing them again tonight. He had almost forgotten about Flamel. It didn't seem very important anymore. Who cared what the three-headed dog was guarding? What did it matter if Snape stole it, really?**

People shook their heads again.

"**Are you all right?" said Ron. "You look odd."**

**Before they left the dorms, Alex decided that she didn't want to go. There was something wrong with the mirror, she knew. But before she could urge Harry and Ron not to leave, they had already gone.**

"At least one of you has some sense." Snape snapped.

**What Harry feared most was that he might not be able to find the mirror room again. With Ron covered in the cloak, too, they had to walk much more slowly the next night. They tried retracing Harry's route from the library, wandering around the dark passageways for nearly an hour.**

"**I'm freezing," said Ron. "Let's forget it and go back."**

"**_No!_****" Harry hissed. "I know it's here somewhere."**

**They passed the ghost of a tall witch gliding in the opposite direction, but saw no one else. Just as Ron started moaning that his feet were dead with cold, Harry spotted the suit of armour.**

"**It's here — just here — yes!"**

**They pushed the door open. Harry dropped the cloak from around his shoulders and ran to the mirror.**

**There they were. His mother and father beamed at the sight of him.**

"**See?" Harry whispered.**

"**I can't see anything."**

"**Look! Look at them all…there are loads of them…"**

"**I can only see you."**

"**Look in it properly, go on, stand where I am."**

**Harry stepped aside, but with Ron in front of the mirror, he couldn't see his family anymore, just Ron in his paisley pyjamas.**

A few snickered.

**Ron, though, was staring transfixed at his image.**

"**Look at me!" he said.**

"**Can you see all your family standing around you?"**

"**No — I'm alone — but I'm different — I look older — and I'm head boy!"**

"**_What?_****"**

"**I am — I'm wearing the badge like Bill used to — and I'm holding the house cup and the Quidditch cup — I'm Quidditch captain, too."**

"That sounds like James." Remus commented.

**Ron tore his eyes away from this splendid sight to look excitedly at Harry.**

"**Do you think this mirror shows the future?"**

"**How can it? All my family are dead — let me have another look —"**

"**You had it to yourself all last night, give me a bit more time."**

"**You're only holding the Quidditch cup, what's interesting about that?****I want to see my parents."**

"**Don't push me —"**

"You're fighting over it." said Molly worriedly.

"I should have gone with you idiots." Alex sighed, ignoring Harry and Ron's indignant cries.

**A sudden noise outside in the corridor put an end to their discussion. They hadn't realized how loudly they had been talking.**

"**Quick!"**

**Ron threw the cloak back over them as the luminous eyes of Mrs. Norris came round the door. Ron and Harry stood quite still, both thinking the same thing — did the cloak work on cats?**

"Yes." Sirius nodded.

**After what seemed an age, she turned and left.**

"**This isn't safe — she might have gone for Filch, I bet she heard us. Come on."**

**And Ron pulled Harry out of the room.**

**The snow still hadn't melted the next morning.**

"**Want to play chess, Harry?" said Ron.**

"**No."**

"**Why don't we go down and visit Hagrid?"**

"**No…you go…"**

"**I know what you're thinking about, Harry, that mirror. Don't go back tonight."**

Many nodded approvingly.

"**Why not?"**

"**I dunno, I've just got a bad feeling about it — and anyway, you've had too many close shaves already. Filch, Snape, and Mrs. Norris are wandering around. So what if they can't see you? What if they walk into you? What if you knock something over?"**

"**You sound like Hermione."**

"**I'm serious, Harry, don't go."**

"So was I." mumbled Harry.

**But Harry only had one thought in his head, which was to get back in front of the mirror, and Ron wasn't going to stop him.**

**For once, Alex had different thoughts.**

Cue gasps of disbelief.

**That third night, Alex stopped Harry before he went through the portrait.**

**"Ron's right, you know."**

Hermione and a few other Gryffindors blinked, making sure they heard right.

**she said, stopping him in his tracks. "There's something not right about that mirror. Harry, please don't go back!" she practically begged.**

**"But don't you want to see mum and dad?" asked Harry. "Alex, this is the first time we've ever seen them! I'm not just going to let this go."**

**"Harry, you have to understand that they're not actually there!" Alex cried. "That mirror... Harry, that thing's dangerous! You have to stay away from it!"**

More nods.

**She tugged on his arm, and tried to pull him back to his dorm. "Just leave it!"**

**Harry yanked his arm back, wrapped the cloak around himself and hastily headed out the portrait, ignoring Alex's calls for him to come back.**

**Harry found his way more quickly than before. He was walking so fast he knew he was making more noise than was wise, but he didn't meet anyone.**

**And there were his mother and father smiling at him again, and one of his grandfathers nodding happily. Harry sank down to sit on the floor in front of the mirror. There was nothing to stop him from staying here all night with his family. Nothing at all.**

**Except —**

"**So — back again, Harry?"**

People leaned forward in one synchronize movement.

**Harry felt as though his insides had turned to ice. He looked behind him. Sitting on one of the desks by the wall was none other than Albus Dumbledore. Harry must have walked straight past him, so desperate to get to the mirror he hadn't noticed him.**

"**I — I didn't see you, sir."**

"**Strange how nearsighted being invisible can make you," said Dumbledore, and Harry was relieved to see that he was smiling.**

Umbridge and Fudge silently fumed. There was a lack of discipline in the school.

"**So," said Dumbledore, slipping off the desk to sit on the floor with Harry,**

"**you, like hundreds before you, have discovered the delights of the Mirror of Erised."**

"**I didn't know it was called that, Sir."**

"**But I expect you've realized by now what it does?"**

"**It — well — it shows me my family —"**

"**And it showed your friend Ron himself as head boy."**

"**How did you know —?"**

"**I don't need a cloak to become invisible," said Dumbledore gently.**

"**Now, can you think what the Mirror of Erised shows us all?"**

**Harry shook his head.**

"**Let me explain. The happiest man on earth would be able to use the Mirror of Erised like a normal mirror, that is, he would look into it and see himself exactly as he is. Does that help?"**

**Harry thought. Then he said slowly, "It shows us what we want…whatever we want…"**

"**Yes and no," said Dumbledore quietly. "It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts. You and your sister, who have never known your family, see them standing around you. Yet, Alex desires more than just family; she desires love and friendship. Ronald Weasley, who has always been overshadowed by his brothers, sees himself standing alone, the best of all of them.**

Ron sunk down. The rest of the Weasleys looked horrified.

**However, this mirror will give us neither knowledge or truth. Men have wasted away before it, entranced by what they have seen, or been driven mad, not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible.****The Mirror will be moved to a new home tomorrow, Harry, and I ask you not to go looking for it again. If you ever do run across it, you will now be prepared. It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that. Now, why don't you put that admirable cloak back on and get off to bed?"**

"He was punished enough." Dumbledore said before Umbridge or Fudge could protest.

**Harry stood up; he should have listened to Ron and Alex.**

"Yes, you should have."

"**Sir — Professor Dumbledore? Can I ask you something?"**

"**Obviously, you've just done so," Dumbledore smiled. "You may ask me one more thing, however."**

Insert snorts.

"**What do you see when you look in the mirror?"**

Molly was stopped from scolding him by Arthur slapping a hand over her mouth.

"**I? I see myself holding a pair of thick, woollen socks."**

**Harry stared.**

"**One can never have enough socks," said Dumbledore. "Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn't get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books."**

"And every year since then I have received a pair." Dumbledore chuckled.

**It was only when he was back in bed that it struck Harry that Dumbledore might not have been quite truthful. But then, he thought, as he shoved Scabbers off his pillow, it had been quite a personal question.**

Molly huffed and nodded.

"Well, our biggest secrets have been revealed." said Harry with a sigh. "We'll never be able to live it down."

"Tell me about it." Alex muttered with a nervous glance at Theo.

"Now, enough stalling." Harry said with his stern stare fixed on Alex, who gulped. "What exactly is going on between you and Malfoy?"

At the question, Alex would've hexed him right then if everyone else wasn't waiting for an answer.

* * *

**I hope you all liked this chapter. Anyways, please review!**

** ~Cassandra**


	13. Nicholas Flamel

**Guys, be sure to check out my new story "Behind Those Emerald Eyes". It's one of those twins becoming the next "dark lord and lady" kind of things, but with my own special twists. Don't worry, I'm going to be updating my stories regularly, so you won't have to worry about me not updating.**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter; it all belongs to J.K Rowling and Warner Brothers Inc. However, I do own Alex.

**Pairings:** All are canon with the exception of my Theo/OC pairing.

* * *

Everyone stared at the two curiously, Theo, Harry, and Ron being the most apprehensive of the lot.

"We...Uh..." Alex stuttered out and looked at Malfoy for help.

Malfoy raised his hands in surrender. "He's your brother."

"Some friend you are, _Draco_." Alex huffed.

"Frenemy, my dear _Alex._" Malfoy drawled, his voice laced with sarcasm.

"That's not what it looked like in the corridor last night." Pansy suddenly spoke up, her eyes glinting. "In fact, you two seemed rather _cozy._"

Alex blinked, her mind immediately registering Pansy's words. _She_ had been the one watching them. _She_ had seen Malfoy heal her hand. Personally, she didn't see anything wrong, but Malfoy would probably avoid her like the plague now to protect his reputation. Shit, Pansy's words sounded wrong...Oh Merlin, help her.

"WHAT?!" Both Harry and Ron bellowed. "YOU SNOGGED MALFOY?"

Malfoy and Alex blinked.

_Once._

_Twice._

_WTF?!_

They turned to each other and scrunched their faces. Daphne, Marcus and Blaise burst out laughing at the sight. They knew now that wasn't the case.

"Oliver, I blame you for Harry taking too many falls in Quidditch." Alex deadpanned. "His sanity's finally left him." Oliver scoffed, and the rest of the team laughed.

Malfoy snorted. "I blame Granger for dragging him and Weaselbee to the library all the time."

More weak laughter.

"Besides," Malfoy drawled, "It's not like I would even think about snogging someone like you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Alex demanded, and Malfoy shrugged.

"You just don't look my type, that's all."

Alex glared at him, "Are you calling me ugly, Malfoy?"

Malfoy took one look at her fiery expression and quickly backtracked, "It's not that you're not pretty, you are, bloody hot in fact - Oi Nott, don't give me that look! I'm not the only one thinking it, you know!"

"So..." Harry began unsurely, "You two aren't dating?"

At this, Alex and Malfoy's expressions immediately shifted to one of horror, and slight disgust. "OH, BLOODY HELL NO!" they yelled in unison. "He/she is like a brother/sister to me!"

"Doesn't mean he's still not a git though." Alex rolled her eyes.

Harry raised an eyebrow, Ron snorted.

"As long as you're not replacing me, that's fine. But I don't have to like him." said Harry.

"Don't worry Potter, I take great pleasure in hating you." Malfoy retorted.

"Then, what were you two doing in the corridors?" Sirius inquired, he and Remus and the rest waiting expectantly.

"He healed my hand. I accidentally cut it, you see." said Alex. But as she met Harry's eyes, she glanced at Umbridge and he nodded in understanding. He had detention after their reading session of the night as well.

A lot of people visibly relaxed at this, only Sirius and those who knew of the actual punishments from Umbridge caught the twins' exchange, Remus looking doubtful (about what really happened to Alex's hand). Theo's shoulders sagged in relief.

"Now that all the who's-dating-who issue is over, can we please continue the reading?" said Hermione, earning nods of agreement from the rest.

"Very well said, Ms. Granger. Now who shall read next?" Dumbledore called out.

Daphne raised her hand and Astoria handed the book to her sister. Once she read the title, she giggled.

"I'll save everyone some time on figuring things out." said Daphne. "**Nicholas** **Flamel**"

"All this time, on a bloody chocolate frog card!" Ron groaned, earning many looks of confusion. Remus suddenly grinned. The twins knew he had figured it out.

**Dumbledore had convinced Harry not to go looking for the Mirror of Erised again, and for the rest of the Christmas holidays the invisibility cloak stayed folded at the bottom of his trunk.**

The Weasley twins shook their heads sadly.

**Harry wished he could forget what he'd seen in the mirror as easily, but he couldn't. He started having nightmares. Over and over again he dreamed about his parents disappearing in a flash of green light, while a high voice cackled with laughter.**

People shuddered and winced.

"**You see, Dumbledore was right, that mirror could drive you mad," said Ron, when Harry told him about these dreams.**

People snickered at Ron's bluntness, and Molly reprimanded him for it.

**"It's not just me!" argued Harry. "Alex said she's been having the same nightmare, and she's only seen the mirror once!"**

"Twin link." Harry and Alex chided.

**Hermione, who came back the day before term started, took a different view of things. She was torn between horror at the idea of Harry being out of bed, roaming the school three nights in a row ("If Filch had caught you!"),**

"Of course." Seamus muttered

**and disappointment that he hadn't at least found out who Nicolas Flamel was.**

"Why am I not surprised?" added Marcus.

**They had almost given up hope of ever finding Flamel in a library book, even though Harry was still sure he'd read the name somewhere.**

Remus smirked, while the trio plus Alex groaned. Daphne Theo and Blaise were laughing.

**Alex had also started her own research on her and Harry's connection. She thought that everything was too coincidental to not be magic. Their interconnected dreams (and sometimes thoughts) weren't normal twin things.**

**Once term had started, they were back to skimming through books for ten minutes during their breaks. Harry and Alex had even less time than the other two, because Quidditch practice had started again.**

**Wood was working the Gryffindor team harder than ever. Even the endless rain that had replaced the snow couldn't dampen his spirits.**

"You let them practice in the snow?" Molly gasped, and many snorted at Oliver's sheepish look.

**The Weasleys complained that Wood was becoming a fanatic, but Harry was on Wood's side.**

"WHAT?" the Gryffindor team (bar Harry and Oliver) gaped while Oliver beamed at Harry.

**If they won their next match, against Hufflepuff, they would overtake Slytherin in the house championship for the first time in seven years.**

"Which we still won." gloated Marcus earning him a glare from Oliver.

"Shut up Flint."

**Quite apart from wanting to win, Harry found that he had fewer nightmares when he was tired out after training.**

"That explains a lot." Katie smiled.

**Then, during one particularly wet and muddy practice session, Wood gave the team a bit of bad news. He'd just gotten very angry with the Weasleys, who kept dive-bombing each other and pretending to fall off their brooms.**

People laughed.

"If you'd done that when James was captain he'd make sure you had nightmares for a month." Remus chuckled and Sirius groaned.

"He did that to me once. I swear I'll never go anywhere near cat litter ever again!"

"How do you know what cat litter is?" asked Hermione. "It's a muggle thing."

"Lily owned a cat back in sixth year." said Remus.

"**Will you stop messing around!" he yelled. "That's exactly the sort of thing that'll lose us the match! Snape's refereeing this time, and he'll be looking for any excuse to knock points off Gryffindor!"**

**George Weasley really did fall off his broom at these words.**

The hall burst into laughter, particularly the Gryffindor original team having seen it.

"**_Snape's_********refereeing?" he spluttered through a mouthful of mud.**

Everyone laughed harder except George who grimaced.

"**When's he ever refereed a Quidditch match? He's not going to be fair if we might overtake Slytherin."**

3/4 of the student body in the hall nodded, while the Slytherins exchanged looks.

**The rest of the team landed next to George to complain, too.**

"**It's not****_my_********fault," said Wood. "We've just got to make sure we play a clean game, so Snape hasn't got an excuse to pick on us."**

"Like that will stop him." said Cho.

**Which was all very well, thought Harry, but he had another reason for not wanting Snape near him while he was playing Quidditch…**

People had perplexed looks.

**The rest of the team hung back to talk to one another as usual at the end of practice, but Harry headed straight back to the Gryffindor common room, where he found Ron and Hermione playing chess. Chess was the only thing Hermione ever lost at, something Harry and Ron thought was very good for her.**

"**Don't talk to me for a moment," said Ron when Harry sat down next to him, "I need to concen—" He caught sight of Harry's face.**

"**What's the matter with you? You look terrible."**

"Shows you care even if it was a bit blunt." Astoria smiled, and Alex snorted.

"Blunt is an understatement. The bloke's absolutely tactless."

A hard-cover book whizzed by Alex's head, and hit Malfoy instead. Harry and Hermione and a few other Gryffindors - okay, majority of the hall - burst into laughter at the indignant/pained look on Malfoy's face. "WEASEL!"

"Nice aim, Ron." Alex chortled. Snape conjured an ice-pack, and Malfoy scowled as it appeared in front of him, but took it anyway.

**Speaking quietly so that no one else would hear, Harry told the other two about Snape's sudden, sinister desire to be a Quidditch referee.**

"Sorry Professor." The trio chorused reluctantly when Alex sent them all "the look".

Snape nodded, slightly amused.

"**Don't play," said Hermione at once.**

"Like we'd let that happen." George snorted.

"**Say you're ill," said Ron.**

"We'd drag him to Madam Pomfrey." Alicia chuckled.

"**Pretend to break your leg," Hermione suggested.**

"We'd drag him to Madam Pomfrey." Fred chided.

"**_Really_********break your leg," said Ron.**

"We'd drag him to Madam Pomfrey." Angelina shook her head, earning a few laughs.

"**I can't," said Harry. "There isn't a reserve Seeker. If I back out, Gryffindor can't play at all."**

"Why didn't you get a reserve seeker?" Sirius asked Oliver.

Oliver, who was still a bit weary of the supposed convict, shrugged. "I honestly don't know."

**At that moment Neville toppled into the common room. How he had managed to climb through the portrait hole was anyone's guess, because his legs had been stuck together with what they recognized at once as the Leg-Locker Curse. He must have had to bunny hop all the way up to Gryffindor tower.**

**Everyone fell over laughing****except Hermione, who leapt up and performed the counter curse.**

Almost everyone looked remorseful, and muttered apologies.

**Neville's legs sprang apart and he got to his feet, trembling.**

"**What happened?" Hermione asked him, leading him over to sit with Harry and Ron.**

"Thank you."

"**Malfoy," said Neville shakily. "I met him outside the library. He said he'd been looking for someone to practice that on."**

Alex sent Malfoy a pointed look.

"I'm not apologizing." he said firmly.

"Draco Malfoy..." Alex warned, and pulled out her wand. Malfoy eyed it wearily, then snorted.

"Is that supposed to scare me?"

"Three seconds to apologize or it's pink hair for a month." she threatened, and Malfoy paled at the mention of the damage to his hair "One... Two..."

"S-sorry, Longbottom." Malfoy forced out, much to the others' astonishment, and Neville nodded with a hesitant smile.

"Whipped," Blaise coughed, and a few Slytherins snickered.

"**Go to Professor McGonagall!" Hermione urged Neville. "Report him!"**

**Neville shook his head.**

"**I don't want more trouble," he mumbled.**

"**You've got to stand up to him, Neville!" said Ron. "He's used to walking all over people, but that's no reason to lie down in front of him and make it easier."**

"That came out wrong."

"You don't say." Daphne sighed.

"**There's no need to tell me I'm not brave enough to be in Gryffindor, Malfoy's already done that," Neville choked out.**

**Harry felt in the pocket of his robes and pulled out a Chocolate Frog, the very last one from the box Hermione had given him for Christmas. He gave it to Neville, who looked as though he might cry.**

"Cry baby." Pansy sneered. Many, Slytherin included, turned to glare at her. Didn't she understand that they had called a truce?

"**You're worth twelve of Malfoy," Harry said. "The Sorting Hat chose you for Gryffindor, didn't it? And where's Malfoy? In stinking Slytherin."**

Harry smiled sheepishly as he met Alex's eyes. "I didn't - "

"I heard it, you know." Alex said with a grin. "You were unconsciously projecting at the time."

**Neville's lips twitched in a weak smile as he unwrapped the frog.**

"**Thanks, Harry…I think I'll go to bed…D'you want the card, you collect them, don't you?"**

**As Neville walked away, Harry looked at the Famous Wizard card.**

"**Dumbledore again," he said, "He was the first one I ever —" He gasped. He stared at the back of the card. Then he looked up at Ron and Hermione.**

McGonagall smiled, Remus laughed, and the trio were grumbling to themselves.

"**_I've found him!_****" he whispered.**

"**I've found Flamel! I****_told_********you I'd read the name somewhere before, I read it on the train coming here — listen to this: 'Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood,_and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel'_!"**

"All that time in the evil library." Ron groaned.

People had burst out laughing when they had realized it.

**Hermione jumped to her feet. She hadn't looked so excited since they'd gotten back the marks for their very first piece of homework.**

Hermione laughed along with the others.

"**Stay there!" she said, and she sprinted up the stairs to the girls' dormitories. Harry and Ron barely had time to exchange mystified looks before she was dashing back, an enormous old book in her arms.**

"**I never thought to look in here!" she whispered excitedly. "I got this out of the library weeks ago for a bit of light reading."**

"Light?" A lot of people exclaimed.

"**_Light_****?" said Ron,**

More laughter.

**but Hermione told him to be quiet until she'd looked something up, and started flicking frantically through the pages, muttering to herself.**

**At last she found what she was looking for.**

"**I knew it! I****_knew_********it!"**

"**Are we allowed to speak yet?" said Ron grumpily. Hermione ignored him.**

People snorted.

"**_Nicolas Flamel,"_********she whispered dramatically, "_is the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone_!"**

**This didn't have quite the effect she'd expected.**.

"**The what?" said Harry and Ron.**

Facepalms.

"**Oh,****_honestly_****, don't you two read? Look – read that, there."**

**She pushed the book toward them, and Harry and Ron read:**

**_The ancient study of alchemy is concerned with making the Philosopher's Stone, a legendary substance with astonishing powers. The stone will transform any metal into pure gold. It also produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal._**

**_There have been many reports of the Philosopher's Stone over the centuries, but the only Stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Nicolas Flamel, the noted alchemist and opera lover. Mr. Flamel, who celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday last year, enjoys a quiet life in Devon with his wife, Perenelle (six hundred and fifty-eight)._**

"**See?" said Hermione, when Harry and Ron had finished. "The dog must be guarding Flamel's Philosopher's Stone! I bet he asked Dumbledore to keep it safe for him, because they're friends and he knew someone was after it, that's why he wanted the Stone moved out of Gringotts!"**

"**A stone that makes gold and stops you from ever dying!" said Harry. "No wonder Snape's after it!****_Anyone_********would want it."**

"Wrong. There are things worse than death." said Flitwick.

"**And no wonder we couldn't find Flamel in that****_Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry_****," said Ron. "He's not exactly recent if he's six hundred and sixty-five, is he?"**

"Not exactly." Dumbledore chuckled.

**Meanwhile, Alex was dragging herself back to the Slytherin common room, Blaise walking alongside her. She had been in the library,**

Cue dramatic gasps from Harry, Ron, the Weasley twins, Sirius, Daphne and Theo.

"NOOO! WE'VE LOST ALEX TO THE DARK SIDE!" Fred and George cried dramatically, earning slaps on the head from Molly.

**researching more about the mind-link that she and Harry shared, but barely found anything. Halfway through, her head started pounding, scenes flashing before her eyes: George Weasley falling off his broom after it was announced that Snape was refereeing the Quidditch match,**

"So that's how you knew about it." George grumbled.

**Neville hopping into the Gryffindor common room, Harry's comment on Slytherins (which she pretended to ignore since it was Malfoy he was insulting),**

"Of course," Malfoy smirked. He and Alex were friends - sort of - but the insults were still there. That wasn't going to change.

**and Hermione talking about the Philosopher's Stone. So that's what had been in the package, she realized.**

**Blaise had been with her in the library at the time, and offered to walk with her to the common room in case she felt ill. She entered the Slytherin common room, and was greeted by the sight of Malfoy and his cronies laughing, along with a giggling Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bulstrode, a scowling Daphne, and an indifferent Theodore Nott.**

**Alex angrily strode towards them, "You think cursing an innocent boy is funny?" she snarled at Malfoy, who only smirked in reply.**

**"Saw what I did to Longbottom, did you?"**

"Didn't she just say that?"

**he sneered, "I still don't see why you care about those bloody Gryffindors."**

**"Well," Alex drawled, "In case you haven't noticed, my brother and his friends are from Gryffindor. And I much more prefer their company to the likes of you."**

**"Is that so?" Malfoy leered mockingly. "Then why don't you go off and join the mubloods and blood-traitors then?"**

**Alex glared at him furiously, and before anyone had time to react, she had pulled out her wand**

Daphne paused and giggled, Blaise, Theo and Millicent snickering as they recalled that night's events. A red tint appeared on Malfoy's cheeks, and Pansy was glaring at the book.

Daphne composed herself as curious looks were shot their way, and she read on.

**and sent a rather nasty stinging hex to Malfoy's unmentionable lower anatomy.**

Silence in the Hall.

Three.

Two.

One.

Every student in the Hall (bar Malfoy, Alex and Pansy), and the adults (bar Molly, Snape) either laughed or grinned widely, mostly the first.

Fred, George, Ron and Lee were all congratulating Alex on "hexing Malfoy in the balls".

**Malfoy doubled over in pain, Millicent gasped and Pansy fussed over him, glaring at Alex. Blaise and Daphne laughing, and Theo's indifferent resolve finally broke, a smirk gracing his lips.**

**Alex was momentarily surprised; Theo looked kind of cute when he smirked.**

"Uhh..." Alex glanced nervously between her grinning friends, and a rather smug Theo.

**Pushing the thought out of her head, Alex let a satisfied smirk of her own grace her features as she trudged towards the girl's dorm. That helped clear her head a bit. Maybe if she got more sleep, the pounding in her head would stop.**

**The next morning in Defence Against the Dark Arts, while copying down different ways of treating werewolf bites, Harry and Ron were still discussing what they'd do with a Philosopher's Stone if they had one. It wasn't until Ron said he'd buy his own Quidditch team that Harry remembered about Snape and the coming match.**

Oliver looked absolutely scandalized.

"**I'm going to play," he told Ron and Hermione. "If I don't, all the Slytherins will think I'm just too scared to face Snape. I'll show them…it'll really wipe the smiles off their faces if we win."**

"**Just as long as we're not wiping you off the field," said Hermione.**

"And you say I'm a pessimist?" Harry mused.

**As the match drew nearer, however, Harry became more and more nervous, whatever he told Ron and Hermione. The rest of the team wasn't too calm, either. The idea of overtaking Slytherin in the house championship was wonderful, no one had done it for seven years, but would they be allowed to, with such a biased referee?**

Mutters around the hall, and Snape scowled.

**Harry didn't know whether he was imagining it or not, but he seemed to keep running into Snape wherever he went. At times, he even wondered whether Snape was following him, trying to catch him on his own.**

"I was paranoid." Harry protested to Snape's sneer.

**He had talked to Alex about this, if she had been experiencing the same thing. Alex immediately denied it, and scolded him for accusing Snape of something so serious. But she had told him about the massive headaches and visions popping in her head.**

**"I don't know how it happens. It must be some sort of link." she told him. "I saw these visions of you guys, in Quidditch practice,**

"Have you been spying on us in practices?" Oliver immediately demanded, and everyone turned to him in surprise, before laughing at the look on Alex's face.

"No, why would I? Our own team tactics are perfectly fine!" The Slytherin team nodding in agreement to this statement.

**then at the common room. I hexed Malfoy for you lot, by the way."**

**Harry had to grin at that. "What'd you do?"**

**"Let's say there's a chance he may never have children in the future." Alex smirked.**

**Harry snorted. "Less chance of having the devil's spawn living then."**

People laughed.

**Potions lessons were turning into a sort of weekly torture, Snape was so horrible to Harry. Could Snape possibly know they'd found out about the Philosopher's Stone?**

"I would have stopped your later endeavors if I had."

**Harry didn't see how he could — yet he sometimes had the horrible feeling that Snape could read minds.**

Snape smirked.

"You use Legilimency on him?" Sirius snarled.

**Harry knew, when they wished him good luck outside the locker rooms the next afternoon, that Ron and Hermione were wondering whether they'd ever see him alive again.**

"Cheerful." Justin grimaced.

**This wasn't what you'd call comforting.**

"I couldn't imaging why." Susan said sarcastically.

**Alex too, wished him a good luck - looking more worried than usual as she settled on the Slytherin stands with Daphne and Blaise.**

**Harry hardly heard a word of Wood's pep talk as he pulled on his Quidditch robes and picked up his Nimbus Two Thousand.**

**Ron and Hermione, meanwhile, had found a place in the stands next to Neville, who couldn't understand why they looked so grim and worried, or why they had both brought their wands to the match.**

"You should bring your wands wherever you go." Tonks shook her head. "You need to prepare if you need to defend yourself."

"There is nothing out there!" Umbridge immediately stood, her shrill voice ringing in the hall. Alex patted Remus' shoulder when he winced.

"Dolores," Fudge said, "Sit down."

Umbridge moved to protest, but after a stern look from Fuge, she reluctantly complied. The students began cheering at this.

**Little did Harry know that Ron and Hermione had been secretly practicing the Leg-Locker Curse. They'd gotten the idea from Malfoy using it on Neville, and were ready to use it on Snape if he showed any sign of wanting to hurt Harry.**

Remus laughed. "It makes the person lose their balance so they tip upside down on their broom."

People laughed imagining it happening to their potions professor.

"**Now, don't forget, it's****_Locomotor Mortis_****," Hermione muttered as Ron slipped his wand up his sleeve.**

"**I know," Ron snapped. "Don't nag."**

"I'm sorry." Ron said after meeting Molly's fierce glare.

**Back in the locker room, Wood had taken Harry aside.**

"**Don't want to pressure you, Potter, but if we ever need an early capture of the Snitch it's now. Finish the game before Snape can favour Hufflepuff too much."**

"**The whole school's out there!" said Fred Weasley, peering out of the door. "Even — blimey — Dumbledore's come to watch!"**

**Harry's heart did a somersault.**

"**_Dumbledore?_****" he said, dashing to the door to make sure. Fred was right. There was no mistaking that silver beard.**

People laughed, so true.

"Is it really that noticeable?" Dumbledore inquired, and many nodded.

**Harry could have laughed out loud with relief, he was safe. There was simply no way that Snape would dare to try to hurt him if Dumbledore was watching.**

"Few people would." Hermione muttered glaring at Umbridge who shifted in her seat.

**Perhaps that was why Snape was looking so angry as the teams marched onto the field, something that Ron noticed, too.**

"Because I wasted my time."

"**I've never seen Snape look so mean," he told Hermione. "Look — they're off. Ouch!"**

**Someone had poked Ron in the back of the head.**

**It was Malfoy.**

"**Oh, sorry, Weasley, didn't see you there."**

People snorted.

"Now we get to see what _really_ happened in the stands." Malfoy paled as Alex and Daphne sent him a look.

**Malfoy grinned broadly at Crabbe and Goyle.**

"**Wonder how long Potter's going to stay on his broom this time? Anyone want a bet? What about you, Weasley?"**

**Ron didn't answer; Snape had just awarded Hufflepuff a penalty because George Weasley had hit a Bludger at him.**

"He was aiming for the Slytherin behind you, Professor." Harry defended.

**Hermione, who had all her fingers crossed in her lap, was squinting fixedly at Harry, who was circling the game like a hawk, looking for the Snitch.**

"**You know how I think they choose people for the Gryffindor team?" said Malfoy loudly a few minutes later, as Snape awarded Hufflepuff another penalty for no reason at all. "It's people they feel sorry for. See, there's Potter, who's got no parents,**

Malfoy winced when both Potter twins' eyes narrowed.

**then there's the Weasleys, who've got no money**

"Malfoy..." Fred and George bit out.

**you should be on the team, Longbottom, you've got no brains."**

Alex and Hermione turned to stare at him, their eyes blazing.

**Neville went bright red but turned in his seat to face Malfoy.**

"**I'm worth twelve of you, Malfoy," he stammered.**

The Gryffindors cheered.

**Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle howled with laughter, but Ron, still not daring to take his eyes from the game, said, "You tell him, Neville."**

"**Longbottom, if brains were gold you'd be poorer than Weasley, and that's saying something."**

**Ron's nerves were already stretched to the breaking point with anxiety about Harry.**

"**I'm warning you, Malfoy — one more word—"**

"**Ron!" said Hermione suddenly, "Harry —"**

"**What? Where?"**

**Harry had suddenly gone into a spectacular dive, which drew gasps and cheers from the crowd. Hermione stood up, her crossed fingers in her mouth,**

Snorts came from around the room.

**as Harry streaked toward the ground like a bullet.**

"Piece of metal that comes from a gun and travels at, say, 230ft per second." Hermione explained, and the purebloods gaped.

"That fast?" asked Adrian, and Hermione nodded.

**Alex was clutching Blaise's arm as she stared at her twin worriedly.**

Theo scowled. Maybe when this book was over he'd tell her.

**"C'mon Harry," she mumbled under her breath.**

**Back at the Gryffindor stands, Malfoy continued his taunting.**

**"You're in luck, Weasley, Potter's obviously spotted some money on the ground!" said Malfoy.**

**Ron snapped. Before Malfoy knew what was happening, Ron was on top of him,**

People snickered.

"Heads out the gutter." Hannah Abbot called.

**wrestling him to the ground.**

**Neville hesitated, then clambered over the back of his seat to help.**

More cheering.

"**Come on, Harry!" Hermione screamed, leaping onto her seat to watch as Harry sped straight at Snape — she didn't even notice Malfoy and Ron rolling around under her seat, or the scuffles and yelps coming from the whirl of fists that was Neville, Crabbe, and Goyle.**

"Always be aware of your surrounding." Tonks said. "Constant Vigilance!"

"Tonks, you're turning into a mini-Moody!" said Fred.

**Up in the air, Snape turned on his broomstick just in time to see something scarlet shoot past him, missing him by inches — the next second, Harry had pulled out of the dive, his arm raised in triumph, the Snitch clasped in his hand.**

**The stands erupted; it had to be a record, no one could ever remember the Snitch being caught so quickly.**

"Less than five minutes." McGonagall smiled proudly.

"**Ron! Ron! Where are you? The game's over! Harry's won! We've won! Gryffindor is in the lead!" shrieked Hermione, dancing up and down on her seat and hugging Parvati Patil in the row in front.**

Both girls blushed.

**Harry jumped off his broom, a foot from the ground. He couldn't believe it. He'd done it — the game was over; it had barely lasted five minutes.**

**Alex, the only Slytherin amongst the cheering group, ran to him and gave him a bone-crushing hug. Harry laughed, and hugged her back.**

**"Looks like our teams will be playing each other in the next game!" she whispered to him excitedly.**

**"Yeah," Harry grinned as he pulled away. "You're going to lose."**

**Alex scoffed, "Not bloody likely."**

"I ate my words." Harry pouted.

**As Gryffindors came spilling onto the field, he saw Snape land nearby, white-faced and tight-lipped — then Harry felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up into Dumbledore's smiling face.**

"**Well done," said Dumbledore quietly, so that only Harry could hear. "Nice to see you haven't been brooding about that mirror…been keeping busy…excellent…"**

"You had to remind him." Remus shook his head.

**Snape spat bitterly on the ground.**

"So that's why there's a bald patch." said Luna off-handedly, and people laughed.

**Harry left the locker room alone some time later, to take his Nimbus Two Thousand back to the broom shed. He couldn't ever remember feeling happier. He'd really done something to be proud of now – no one could say he was just a famous name any more.**

"Not in Gryffindor tower." Said a seventh year Gryffindor.

**The evening air had never smelled so sweet. He walked over the damp grass, reliving the last hour in his head, which was a happy blur: Gryffindors running to lift him onto their shoulders; Ron and Hermione in the distance, jumping up and down, Ron cheering through a heavy nosebleed.**

Molly started fussing and scolding while Arthur gave him a thumbs up behind Molly's back.

**Harry had reached the shed. He leaned against the wooden door and looked up at Hogwarts, with its windows glowing red in the setting sun. Gryffindor in the lead. He'd done it, he'd shown Snape…**

**And speaking of Snape…**

People leaned forward.

**A hooded figure came swiftly down the front steps of the castle. Clearly not wanting to be seen, it walked as fast as possible toward the forbidden forest. Harry's victory faded from his mind as he watched. He recognized the figure's prowling walk. Snape, sneaking into the forest while everyone else was at dinner — what was going on?**

**Harry jumped back on his Nimbus Two Thousand and took off. Gliding silently over the castle he saw Snape enter the forest at a run. He followed.**

Snape glared at Harry.

**The trees were so thick he couldn't see where Snape had gone. He flew in circles, lower and lower, brushing the top branches of trees until he heard voices. He glided toward them and landed noiselessly in a towering beech tree.**

**He climbed carefully along one of the branches, holding tight to his broomstick, trying to see through the leaves.**

**Below, in a shadowy clearing, stood Snape, but he wasn't alone. Quirrell was there, too. Harry couldn't make out the look on his face, but he was stuttering worse than ever.**

Harry's nose wrinkled in disdain. Alex sneered.

**Harry strained to catch what they were saying.**

"…**d-don't know why you wanted t-t-to meet here of all p-places, Severus…"**

"**Oh, I thought we'd keep this private," said Snape, his voice icy. "Students aren't supposed to know about the Philosopher's Stone, after all."**

The teachers sent pointed looks at the trio and Alex who all smiled innocently.

**Harry leaned forward. Quirrell was mumbling something. Snape interrupted him.**

"**Have you found out how to get past that beast of Hagrid's yet?"**

"**B-b-but Severus, I —"**

"**You don't want me as your enemy, Quirrell," said Snape, taking a step toward him.**

Many people nodded. Very true.

"**I-I don't know what you—"**

"**You know perfectly well what I mean."**

**Suddenly, Harry's head started pounding, and a brief scene flashed through his mind: Alex and Malfoy in the Hospital Wing, in the middle of a yelling match. He could barely make out what exactly was said though.**

"Madam Pomfrey kicked me out after that." Alex said with a cheeky grin. Madam Pomfrey chuckled.

**Then, the pain somewhat subsided. He steadied himself in time to hear Snape say, "— your little bit of hocus-pocus. I'm waiting."**

"If only I'd caught the rest." Harry grumbled.

"**B-but I d-d-don't —"**

"**Very well," Snape cut in. "We'll have another little chat soon, when you've had time to think things over and decided where your loyalties lie."**

"He made the wrong choice."

**He threw his cloak over his head and strode out of the clearing. It was almost dark now, but Harry could see Quirrell, standing quite still as though he was petrified.**

The basilisk victims shivered.

"**Harry, where have you****_been_****?" Hermione squeaked.**

"**We won! You won! We won!" shouted Ron, thumping Harry on the back. "And I gave Malfoy a black eye, and Neville tried to take on Crabbe and Goyle single-handed!**

Cheers erupted in the Hall. Some professors tried - and failed - to look disapproving.

**He's still out cold but Madam Pomfrey says he'll be all right — talk about showing Slytherin! Heck, Alex even went and started giving Malfoy an earfull! Everyone's waiting for you in the common room, we're having a party, Fred and George stole some cakes and stuff from the kitchens."**

Sirius snorted. "It's not hard."

Molly scowled.

"**Never mind that now," said Harry breathlessly. "Let's find an empty room, you wait 'til you hear this…"**

**He made sure Peeves wasn't inside before shutting the door behind them,**

"Good." Tonks nodded.

**then he told them what he'd seen and heard.**

"**So we were right, it****_is_********the Philosopher's Stone, and Snape's trying to force Quirrell to help him get it. He asked if he knew how to get past Fluffy — and he said something about Quirrell's 'hocus pocus' — I reckon there are other things guarding the stone apart from Fluffy, loads of enchantments,**

The teachers nodded, baffled. How on earth had four first-years manage it?

**probably, and Quirrell would have done some anti-Dark Arts spell that Snape needs to break through —"**

"No such spell." said Professor Vector.

"**So you mean the Stone's only safe as long as Quirrell stands up to Snape?" said Hermione in alarm.**

"**It'll be gone by next Tuesday," said Ron.**

People laughed.

"Well, this is certainly getting interesting." Astoria giggled.

"Tell me about it." Malfoy shook his head. "These books aren't doing me any good."

"Oi! Not our fault you're a right git!" Ron said.

"Okay, calm down you lot. We don't need another fight breaking out." Daphne said. "Who's next?"

"I'll give it a go." said Blaise, and Daphne handed him the book.

* * *

**I hope you all liked this chapter. Anyways, please review!**

** ~Cassandra**


	14. Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback

**Guys, be sure to check out my new story "Behind Those Emerald Eyes". It's one of those twins becoming the next "dark lord and lady" kind of things, but with my own special twists. Don't worry, I'm going to be updating my stories regularly, so you won't have to worry about me not updating.**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter; it all belongs to J.K Rowling and Warner Brothers Inc. However, I do own Alex.

**Pairings:** All are canon with the exception of my Theo/OC pairing.

* * *

"**Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback**" Blaise read the the title over and over again, just to be sure he hadn't read it wrong. "WHAT?!"

"There really was a dragon?" McGonagall gasped when the trio and Alex nodded guiltily. She turned to Malfoy. "My apologies, Mr. Malfoy."

Malfoy nodded in acceptance.

"Wait, so this is why you've been hightailing him that term?" Daphne asked, and Alex nodded with a blush. "Oh my gosh, Alex I'm so sorry!"

"For what?" Alex asked.

"For not believing you about the dragon!" said Daphne, "And for accusing you of having a crush on Malfoy!"

Harry ad Ron blinked, Blaise and Theo laughed and Malfoy choked on air.

Alex's eyebrows shot up. "Daph, I understand the first, but how you thought of the second, I'll never know."

**Quirrell, however, must have been braver than they'd thought. In the weeks that followed he did seem to be getting paler and thinner, but it didn't look as though he'd cracked yet.**

**Every time they passed the third-floor corridor, Harry, Ron, Alex and Hermione would press their ears to the door to check that Fluffy was still growling inside.**

Many nodded in approval.

**Snape was sweeping about in his usual bad temper, which surely meant that the Stone was still safe.**

**Whenever Harry passed Quirrell these days he gave him an encouraging sort of smile, and Ron had started telling people off for laughing at Quirrell's stutter.**

Molly smiled while the trio grimaced.

**Alex just didn't do anything, passing him in the hall with a blank expression. She knew it wasn't Snape who was after the Stone, it couldn't be. On Halloween, Snape had been at the feast when Quirrel came running in, screaming about the troll. So he couldn't have been the one to let it in.**

People blinked. They had missed that fact.

Snape nodded.

**And was it her, or did her head seem to pound, and her scar burn more when Quirrel was around?**

"I noticed that too, but I just ignored it." Harry winced.

**Hermione, however, had more on her mind than the Philosopher's Stone. She had started drawing up study schedules and colour coding all her notes. Harry and Ron wouldn't have minded, but she kept nagging them to do the same.**

The boys and some girls groaned.

"**Hermione, the exams are ages away."**

"**Ten weeks," Hermione snapped. "That's not ages, that's like a second to Nicolas Flamel."**

People raised eyebrows all thinking the same thing.

**"But we're not six hundred years old,"**

People laughed.

**Ron reminded her. "Anyway, what are you studying for, you already know it's an A."**

"**What am I studying for? Are you crazy? You realize we need to pass these exams to get into the second year? They're very important, I should have started studying a month ago, I don't know what's gotten into me…"**

"Remus was the same when we took our NEWTS." Sirius scowled.

**Unfortunately, the teachers seemed to be thinking along the same lines as Hermione.**

**They piled so much homework on them that the Easter holidays weren't nearly as much fun as the Christmas ones.**

"Never are." Ernie Macmillan said in despair.

**It was hard to relax with Hermione next to you reciting the twelve uses of dragon's blood or practicing wand movements. Moaning and yawning, Harry and Ron spent most of their free time in the library with her, trying to get through all their extra work.**

Lots of people shivered.

"**I'll never remember this," Ron burst out one afternoon, throwing down his quill and looking longingly out of the library window. It was the first really fine day they'd had in months. The sky was a clear, forget-me-not blue, and there was a feeling in the air of summer coming.**

"Do it outside by the edge of the lake." Remus advised

**Harry, who was looking up "Dittany" in****_One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_****, didn't look up until he heard Ron say, "Hagrid! What are you doing in the library?"**

Several people shot him looks.

**Hagrid shuffled into view, hiding something behind his back. He looked very out of place in his moleskin overcoat.**

Laughs and sniggers went through the room at trying to imagine that.

"**Jus' lookin'," he said, in a shifty voice tha got their interest at once.**

"Hagrid, we thought we taught you how to lie better!" Sirius whined.

"**An' what're you lot up ter?" He looked suddenly suspicious. "Yer not still lookin' fer Nicolas Flamel, are yeh?"**

"**Oh, we found out who he is ages ago," said Ron impressively. "And we know what that dog's guarding, it's a Philosopher's St—"**

Insert face palms.

"**Shhhh!" Hagrid looked around quickly to see if anyone was listening. "Don' go shoutin' about it, what's the matter with yeh?"**

"**There are a few things we wanted to ask you, as a matter of fact," said Harry, "about what's****guarding the Stone apart from Fluffy —"**

"**SHHHH!" said Hagrid again. "Listen — come an' see me later, I'm not promisin' I'll tell yeh anythin', mind, but don' go rabbitin' about it in here, students aren' s'pposed ter know. They'll think I've told yeh —"**

"You kinda did." Adrian pointed out.

"**See you later, then," said Harry.**

**Hagrid shuffled off, nearly bumping into Alex on his way out.**

**"Hello Hagrid!" said Alex, doing a double take. "What are you doing in the library?"**

**"Sorry Alex, can' stay an' chat. Lots o' work ter do." Then he walked off.**

**Alex blinked, then approached her brother and friends.**

"How did you not find that suspicious?" asked Tonks.

**"Hiya!" she greeted, receiving nods in return. "You lot saw Hagrid in here too, right?"**

**"Yes, we did. What was he hiding behind his back?" said Hermione thoughtfully.**

"**Do you think it had anything to do with the Stone?" Alex asked.**

"**I'm going to see what section he was in," said Ron, who'd had enough of working. He came back a minute later with a pile of books in his arms and slammed them down on the table.**

"**Dragons!" he whispered. "Hagrid was looking up stuff about dragons! Look at these:****_Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland; From Egg to Inferno, A Dragon Keeper's Guide._********"**

People just remembered the chapter of the title. Some paled.

"**Hagrid's always wanted a dragon, he told us so the first time Alex and I ever met him, " said Harry.**

"**But it's against our laws," said Ron. "Dragon breeding was outlawed by the Warlocks' Convention of 1709, everyone knows that.**

Fred, George and Percy gaped at Ron.

"You actually listened to Charlie?" Percy asked incredulously.

**It's hard to stop Muggles from noticing us if we're keeping dragons in the back garden — anyway, you can't tame dragons, it's dangerous. You should see the burns Charlie's got off wild ones in Romania."**

"**But there aren't wild dragons in****_Britain_****?" said Harry.**

"**Of course there are," said Ron. "Common Welsh Green and Hebridean Blacks. The Ministry of Magic has a job hushing them up, I can tell you. Our kind have to keep putting spells on Muggles who've spotted them, to make them forget."**

"**So what on earth's Hagrid up to?" said Hermione.**

**When they knocked on the door of the gamekeeper's hut an hour later, they were surprised to see that all the curtains were closed. Hagrid called "Who is it?" before he let them in, and then shut the door quickly behind them.**

Blaise's brow furrowed but he didn't stop reading.

**It was stifling hot inside. Even though it was such a warm day, there was a blazing fire in the grate. Hagrid made them tea and offered them stoat sandwiches, which they refused.**

"**So — yeh wanted to ask me somethin'?"**

"**Yes," said Harry. There was no point beating around the bush.**

Alex shook her head at Harry's bluntness.

**"We were wondering if you could tell us what's guarding the Philosopher's Stone apart from Fluffy."**

**Hagrid frowned at him.**

As did Molly who went to reprimand him but stopped herself.

"**O' course I can't," he said. "Number one, I don' know meself. Number two, yeh know too much already, so I wouldn' tell yeh if I could. That Stone's here fer a good reason. It was almost stolen outta Gringotts — I s'ppose yeh've worked that out an' all? Beats me how yeh even know abou' Fluffy."**

"We can thank a certain ferret." Ron sniggered.

"Say that again weasel?" Malfoy snapped.

"Both of you shut up before I turn you into toads." Alex glared at them, and they shut their mouths, much to the amusement of the rest of the hall.

"**Oh, come on, Hagrid, you might not want to tell us, but you****_do_********know, you know everything that goes on round here," said Alex in a warm, flattering voice.**

Blaise paused his reading and snorted. "Of course,"

"That technique can work on almost everyone but Snape and Dumbledore." Daphne added with a laugh.

**Hagrid's beard twitched and they could tell he was smiling.**

"**We only wondered who had****_done_********the guarding, really." Alex went on. "We wondered who Dumbledore had trusted enough to help him, apart from you."**

**Hagrid's chest swelled at these last words. Harry, Ron and Hermione beamed at Alex. Perhaps there was a perk to being in Slytherin.**

Many Slytherins nodded, some smirked, some chuckled.

"**Well, I don' s'pose it could hurt ter tell yeh that…let's see…he borrowed Fluffy from me…then some o' the teachers did enchantments…Professor Sprout — Professor Flitwick —****Professor McGonagall —" he ticked them off on his fingers, "Professor Quirrell — an' Dumbledore himself did somethin', o' course. Hang on, I've forgotten someone. Oh yeah, Professor Snape."**

"**_Snape?_****"**

**Alex shot Harry a look at this.**

"Of course." Harry mimicked Blaise.

"**Yeah — yer not still on abou' that, are yeh? Look, Snape helped****_protect_********the Stone, he's not about ter steal it."**

"And yeh wouldn' listen ter me." Hagrid sighed.

**Harry knew Ron and Hermione were thinking the same as he was. If Snape had been in on protecting the Stone, it must have been easy to find out how the other teachers had guarded it.**

"It would be." Snape nodded.

**He probably knew everything — except, it seemed, Quirrell's spell and how to get past Fluffy.**

"**You're the only one who knows how to get past Fluffy. aren't you, Hagrid?" said Harry anxiously. "And you wouldn't tell anyone, would you? Not even one of the teachers?"**

"**Not a soul knows except me an' Dumbledore," said Hagrid proudly.**

Hagrid winced.

"**Well, that's something," Harry muttered to the others. "Hagrid, can we have a window open? I'm boiling."**

"**Can't, Harry, sorry," said Hagrid. Harry noticed him glance at the fire. Harry looked at it, too.**

"**Hagrid — what's****_that_****?"**

**But he already knew what it was. In the very heart of the fire, underneath the kettle, was a huge, black egg.**

Mutters echoed around the hall, and the teachers (bar Snape and Dumbledore) listened in disbelief. Umbridge's eyes gleamed.

"**Ah," said Hagrid, fiddling nervously with his beard,****"That's — er…"**

"**Where did you get it, Hagrid?" said Ron, crouching over the fire to get a closer look at the egg. "It must've cost you a fortune."**

"**Won it," said Hagrid. "Las' night. I was down in the village havin' a few drinks an' got into a game o' cards with a stranger. Think he was quite glad ter get rid of it, ter be honest."**

People shook their heads. Dragon eggs were extremely expensive; no one would just give one up.

"**But what are you going to do with it when it's hatched?" said Hermione.**

"**Well, I've bin doin' some readin'," said Hagrid, pulling a large book from under his pillow. "Got this outta the library —_Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit_******— **it's a bit outta date, o' course, but it's all in here. Keep the egg in the fire, 'cause their mothers breathe on I em, see, an' when it hatches, feed it on a bucket o' brandy mixed with chicken blood every half hour. An' see here — how ter recognize diff'rent eggs — what I got there's a Norwegian Ridgeback. They're rare, them."**

**He looked very pleased with himself, but Hermione didn't.**"**Hagrid, you live in a****_wooden house_****," she said.**

"Very good point." Said Padma.

**But Hagrid wasn't listening. He was humming merrily as he stoked the fire.**

**So now they had something else to worry about: what might happen to Hagrid if anyone found out he was hiding an illegal dragon in his hut.**

"He'd go to Azkaban." Umbridge said gleefully.

"He's already been there after being unfairly accused." McGonagall interjected.

"And you can't arrest him now, as he had already spent his time." Harry added, feeling rather smug as Umbridge's gleeful look quickly shifted to an ugly scowl.

"**Wonder what it's like to have a peaceful life," Ron sighed,**

"So do we." Sighed Harry, Alex and Hermione.

**as evening after evening they struggled through all the extra homework they were getting. Hermione had now started making study schedules for Harry and Ron, too. It was driving them nuts.**

**Then, one breakfast time, Hedwig brought Harry another note from Hagrid. He had written only two words:****_It's hatching._**

"Not good." Fred said.

"Really not good." George sighed.

**Ron wanted to skip Herbology and go straight down to the hut. Hermione wouldn't hear of it.**

"**Hermione, how many times in our lives are we going to see a dragon hatching?"**

"**We've got lessons, we'll get into trouble, and that's nothing to what Hagrid's going to be in when someone finds out what he's doing—"**

"True that." Lee nodded.

"**Shut up!" Harry whispered.**

**Malfoy was only a few feet away and he had stopped dead to listen. How much had he heard? Harry didn't like the look on Malfoy's face at all.**

"Do you ever?" Snorted Ron.

"Of course," Alex grinned. "The look on his face when he's either bested or blackmailed is priceless."

"Too true" Harry laughed.

**Ron and Hermione argued all the way to Herbology**

"As normal." Harry sighed.

**and in the end, Hermione agreed to run down to Hagrid's with the other two during morning break. When the bell sounded from the castle at the end of their lesson, the three of them dropped their trowels at once and hurried through the grounds to the edge of the forest.**

"So that's why you where so eager to leave." Professor Sprout chuckled.

**Alex couldn't meet with them, saying that Daphne would drag her off to the common room, but had asked Harry to tell her about it afterwards. When in truth, she had been tailing Malfoy. After Harry had told her that he might have overheard their conversation earlier, it would be best if he would keep his mouth shut.**

"You could have just told me that." said Harry.

**Hagrid greeted them, looking flushed and excited.**

"**It's nearly out." He ushered them inside.**

**The egg was lying on the table. There were deep cracks in it. Something was moving inside; a funny clicking noise was coming from it.**

**They all drew their chairs up to the table and watched with bated breath.**

"Don't get too close." Arthur warned.

**All at once there was a scraping noise and the egg split open. The baby dragon flopped onto the table. It wasn't exactly pretty; Harry thought it looked like a crumpled, black umbrella. Its spiny wings were huge compared to its skinny jet body, it had a long snout with wide nostrils, the stubs of horns and bulging, orange eyes.**

"Damn, I missed it." Alex chuckled.

**It sneezed. A couple of sparks flew out of its snout.**

"**Isn't he****_beautiful_****?" Hagrid murmured. He reached out a hand to stroke the dragon's head. It snapped at his fingers, showing pointed fangs.**

"**Bless him, look, he knows his mummy!" said Hagrid.**

"You are mental." Dean stressed.

"Mummy?" question Seamus.

"**Hagrid," said Hermione, "how fast do Norwegian Ridgebacks grow, exactly?"**

"Extremely." Percy grimaced.

**Hagrid was about to answer when the colour suddenly drained from his face — he leapt to his feet and ran to the window.**

"**What's the matter?"**

"**Someone was lookin' through the gap in the curtains — it's a kid — he's runnin' back up ter the school."**

**Harry bolted to the door and looked out. Even at a distance there was no mistaking him.**

"Your hair is just too plain obvious, mate." Theo laughed.

**Malfoy had seen the dragon.**

**Something about the smile lurking on Malfoy's face during the next week made Harry, Ron, and Hermione very nervous. When Malfoy confronted Alex, that did it for them.**

**"Shame your brother would be joining that giant oaf in Azkaban soon, Potter." he jeered at her when they passed each other in an empty corridor.**

**"What are you talking about, Malfoy?" Alex spat, though she knew very well what he had meant. She had seen him running back to the castle the day that Harry, Ron and Hermione had gone to Hagrid's hut.**

**Malfoy only smirked, and walked on.**

**Alex glared at his back and rushed to find Harry. She needed to warn him. They needed to get rid of that dragon.**

"We really do have the worst of luck." Ron sighed. "Of all the times to get caught."

**They now spent most of their free time in Hagrid's darkened hut, trying to reason with him.**

People around the room snorted.

"**Just let him go," Harry urged. "Set him free."**

"**I can't," said Hagrid. "He's too little. He'd die."**

"It's a she Hagrid." Hermione corrected.

**They looked at the dragon. It had grown three times in length in just a week. Smoke kept furling out of its nostrils. Hagrid hadn't been doing his game keeping duties because the dragon was keeping him so busy. There were empty brandy bottles and chicken feathers all over the floor.**

"**I've decided to call him Norbert," said Hagrid, looking at the dragon with misty eyes. "He****really knows me now, watch. Norbert! Norbert! Where's Mummy?"**

"**He's lost his marbles," Ron muttered in Harry's ear.**

People nodded in agreement.

"**Hagrid," said Harry loudly, "give it two weeks and Norbert's going to be as long as your house. Malfoy could go to Dumbledore at any moment."**

**"It's not Dumbledore we have to worry about. He'd understand; it is Hagrid after all." said Alex. "We'd be damned if Malfoy told his father. It would be a ticket to Azkaban if that happens."**

People nodded at this.

**Hagrid bit his lip.**

"**I — I know I can't keep him forever, but I can't jus' dump him, I can't."**

**Harry suddenly turned to Ron. "Charlie." he said.**

People's faces lighted up.

"**You're losing it, too," said Ron. "I'm Ron, remember?"**

Snorts echoed.

"**No — Charlie — your brother, Charlie. In Romania. Studying dragons. We could send Norbert to him. Charlie can take care of him and then put him back in the wild!"**

"**Brilliant!" said Ron. "How about it, Hagrid?"**

**And in the end, Hagrid agreed that they could send an owl to Charlie to ask him.**

"Good." Several people chorused.

**The following week dragged by. Wednesday night found Hermione and Harry sitting alone in the common room, long after everyone else had gone to bed. The clock on the wall had just chimed midnight when the portrait hole burst open. Ron appeared out of nowhere as he pulled off Harry's invisibility cloak. He had been down at Hagrid's hut, helping him feed Norbert, who was now eating dead rats by the crate.**

"**It bit me!" he said, showing them his hand, which was wrapped in a bloody handkerchief.**

"Ron, that's poisonous." Percy groaned, head in his hands.

"**I'm not going to be able to hold a quill for a week. I tell you, that dragon's the most horrible animal I've ever met, but the way Hagrid goes on about it, you'd think it was a fluffy little bunny rabbit. When it bit me he told me off for frightening it. And when I left, he was singing it a lullaby."**

"Hagrid." Molly and the female staff reprimanded.

**There was a tap on the dark window.**

"**It's Hedwig!" said Harry, hurrying to let her in. "She'll have Charlie's answer!"**

"Hedwig, you are a god send." Harry smiled.

**The three of them put their heads together to read the note.**

**_Dear Ron,_**

**_How are you? Thanks for the letter — I'd be glad to take the Norwegian Ridgeback, but it won't be easy getting him here. I think the best thing will be to send him over with some friends of mine who are coming to visit me next week. Trouble is, they mustn't be seen carrying an illegal dragon._**

**_Could you get the Ridgeback up the tallest tower at midnight on Saturday? They can meet you there and take him away while it's still dark._**

"That could have been a good plan." Alex sighed.

**_Send me an answer as soon as possible._**

**_Love,_**

**_Charlie_**

**They looked at one another.**

"**We've got the invisibility cloak," said Harry. "It shouldn't be too difficult – I think the cloaks big enough to cover two of us and Norbert."**

"Luckily." The two who'd been under it said.

**It was a mark of how bad the last week had been that the other two agreed with him. Anything to get rid of Norbert — and Malfoy.**

"I feel so loved." Malfoy drawled sarcastically.

**There was a hitch.**

**By the next morning, Ron's bitten hand had swollen to twice its usual size. He didn't know whether it was safe to go to Madam Pomfrey — would she recognize a dragon bite?**

"No."

**By the afternoon, though, he had no choice. The cut had turned a nasty shade of green. It looked as if Norbert's fangs were poisonous.**

"Only just figured that out." Zacharias snorted.

**Harry and Hermione rushed up to the hospital wing at the end of the day to find Ron in a terrible state in bed.**

"**It's not just my hand," he whispered, "although that feels like it's about to fall off. Malfoy told Madam Pomfrey he wanted to borrow one of my books so he could come and have a good laugh at me. He kept threatening to tell her what really bit me — I've told her it was a dog, but I don't think she believes me — I shouldn't have hit him at the Quidditch match, that's why he's doing this."**

"He would have done it anyway." said Theo.

**Harry and Hermione tried to calm Ron down.**

"**It'll all be over at midnight on Saturday," said Hermione, but this didn't soothe Ron at all. On the contrary, he sat bolt upright and broke into a sweat.**

"**Midnight on Saturday!" he said in a hoarse voice. "Oh no oh no — I've just remembered — Charlie's letter was in that book Malfoy took, he's going to know we're getting rid of Norbert."**

"Shit."

"Language Mr. Finnigan." McGonagall said sternly.

**Harry and Hermione didn't get a chance to answer. Madam Pomfrey came over at that moment and made them leave, saying Ron needed sleep.**

"**It's too late to change the plan now," Harry told Hermione. "We haven't got time to send Charlie another owl, and this could be our only chance to get rid of Norbert. We'll have to risk it. And we****_have_********got the invisibility cloak, Malfoy doesn't know about that."**

"I do now."

"Wouldn't help you."

**They found Fang, the boarhound, sitting outside with a bandaged tail**

"Poor thing." Hagrid smiled at Luna.

**when they went to tell Hagrid, who opened a window to talk to them.**

"**I won't let you in," he puffed. "Norbert's at a tricky stage — nothin' I can't handle."**

**When they told him about Charlie's letter, his eyes filled with tears, although that might have been because Norbert had just bitten him on the leg.**

Snickers where heard.

"**Aargh! It's all right, he only got my boot — jus' playin' — he's only a baby, after all."**

**The baby banged its tail on the wall, making the windows rattle. Harry and Hermione walked back to the castle feeling Saturday couldn't come quickly enough.**

"Not the only time." The trio groaned.

**They would have felt sorry for Hagrid when the time came for him to say good-bye to Norbert if they hadn't been so worried about what they had to do. It was a very dark, cloudy night, and they were a bit late arriving at Hagrid's hut because they'd had to wait for Peeves to get out of their way in the entrance hall, where he'd been playing tennis against the wall.**

**Hagrid had Norbert packed and ready in a large crate.**

"**He's got lots o' rats an' some brandy fer the journey," said Hagrid in a muffled voice. "An' I've packed his teddy bear in case he gets lonely."**

"He's worse than Loony Lovegood." The bowl of pudding in front of Lavender exploded, splattering all over her face and top. She screeched.

Harry glanced at the Slytherin table in time to see Alex hide her wand. She caught his eye and smirked.

_Was that necessary?_ He thought to her.

He could hear Alex scoff in his mind. _Of course. No one makes fun of Hagrid_or _Luna._

**From inside the crate came ripping noises that sounded to Harry as though the teddy was having his head torn off.**

"Poor teddy." Lee said in a tragic voice.

"**Bye-bye, Norbert!" Hagrid sobbed, as Harry and Hermione covered the crate with the****invisibility cloak and stepped underneath it themselves. "Mummy will never forget you!"**

**Alex discreetly followed Malfoy down the corridors. She had seen the letter that Malfoy had taken, along with Ron's book, and had a pretty good idea of what he was intending to do. Eventually, she hid in a corner as he stopped right in front of Professor McGonagall's office. Alex's eyes widened. He wouldn't...**

"Oh, he did." McGonagall sighed.

**How they managed to get the crate back up to the castle, they never knew. Midnight ticked nearer as they heaved Norbert up the marble staircase in the entrance hall and along the dark corridors. Up another staircase, then another – even one of Harry's shortcuts didn't make the work much easier.**

"You knew short cuts?" Said the Weasley twins.

"I'm so proud." Sirius wiped away an imaginary tear.

_**Oh, bloody hell...**_

**Harry paused, and Hermione looked at him in confusion. Was it just him, or did that voice sound a lot like,**

_**Alex?**_

**Alex jumped a bit from where she was hiding as Harry's voice echoed in her head.**_**Merlin's beard! Harry?**_

"That's so cool!" said Colin.

**So she was right. There really was a mind link between them.**

**_So it is you! How can I hear you?_**

**_No time to explain!_****Alex thought desperately as she watched Professor McGonagall reprimand Malfoy.**_**Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing right now, make it quick. Malfoy's just woken McGonagall, and she doesn't look very happy... Eeeep!**_

**Professor McGonagall caught Alex by her arm, and the Slytherin was staring with wide eyes. "P-Professor McGonagall!"**

**Oh Salazar, she was in so much trouble. Now, she could only hope that Harry and Hermione didn't get caught with the dragon.**

"Oh, we got caught." Harry chuckled.

Hermione smiled. "Just not with the dragon."

**"Nearly there!" Harry panted as they reached the corridor beneath the tallest tower.**

**Then a sudden movement ahead of them made them almost drop the crate.**

**Forgetting that they were already invisible, they shrank into the shadows, staring at the dark outlines of two people grappling with each other ten feet away. A lamp flared.**

**Professor McGonagall, in a tartan bathrobe and a hair net, had Malfoy by the ear and Alex by the arm.**

People started snickering.

**_Alex?_********Harry tried pushing his thought towards her. It seemed to have worked. His twin briefly glanced at the direction he and Hermione were hiding, before wincing when Professor McGonagall spoke.**

"**Detention!" she shouted. "And twenty points from Slytherin! Wandering around in the middle of the night, how****_dare_********you —"**

"**You don't understand, Professor. Harry Potter's coming — he's got a dragon!"**

"**What utter rubbish! How dare you tell such lies! Come on — I shall see Professor Snape about you, Malfoy!"**

"Sorry Mr. Malfoy, but it was a ridiculous story."

**"And what do you have to say for yourself, Miss Potter?"**

**"I - I'm sorry Professor. I was just trying to make sure Malfoy didn't do anything stupid." Alex gave an air of an innocent child who just caught sticking her hand in a cookie jar. Professor McGonagall's looked softened just the tiniest bit and she sighed.**

People blink in disbelief.

"Why can't I do that?" Malfoy complained.

"Well for one, you're known to be an arse, so I doubt people would believe it." Alex pointed out.

**"I'm afraid you'll still have to serve detention with Mr. Malfoy, Miss Potter."****Alex nodded and relaxed, knowing Harry and Hermione had already left the area. Well, that was one Professor and one nosy ferret out of their way.**

McGonagall shook her head.

**The steep spiral staircase up to the top of the tower seemed the easiest thing in the world after that. Not until they'd stepped out into the cold night air did they throw off the cloak, glad to be able to breathe properly again. Hermione did a sort of jig.**

People began laughing again.

"**Malfoy's got detention! I could sing!"**

"**Don't," Harry advised her.**

"It would have got us caught, she's a very nice singer."

**"I just feel sorry for Alex."**

**Chuckling about Malfoy, they waited, Norbert thrashing about in his crate. About ten minutes later, four broomsticks came swooping down out of the darkness.**

**Charlie's friends were a cheery lot.**

"That they are." Arthur chuckled while Molly looked disapproving.

**They showed Harry and Hermione the harness they'd rigged up, so they could suspend Norbert between them. They all helped buckle Norbert safely into it and then Harry and Hermione shook hands with the others and thanked them very much.**

**At last, Norbert was going…going…_gone_.**

People cheered, some sighing in relief.

**They slipped back down the spiral staircase, their hearts as light as their hands, now that Norbert was off them. No more dragon — Malfoy in detention — what could spoil their happiness?**

"You jinxed it!" Marcus said.

**The answer to that was waiting at the foot of the stairs. As they stepped into the corridor, Filch's face loomed suddenly out of the darkness.**

"**Well, well, well," he whispered, "we****_are_********in trouble."**

Facepalms.

**They'd left the invisibility cloak on top of the tower.**

"NOOOOO!." Fred, George, Sirius and Remus cried out.

"You did get it back, right?" Sirius asked, and Harry nodded.

Speaking of the cloak...

_Harry, what do we do when people find out about the map?_Alex thought frantically.

Harry seemed to pale at this. _I...I don't know._

* * *

**I hope you all liked this chapter. Anyways, please review!**

** ~Cassandra**


	15. The Forbidden Forest

**Hope you guys check out my other story, "Behind those Emerald Eyes". Chapter 5 is up!**

**And here's another chapter for you lot, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter; it all belongs to J.K Rowling and Warner Brothers Inc. However, I do own Alex.

**Pairings:** All are canon with the exception of my Theo/OC pairing.

* * *

Remus volunteered to read next, but immediately voiced his rage as soon as he read the title.

"**The Forbidden Forest**" Remus seethed. "YOU MADE THEM GO TO THE FOREST AS PUNISHMENT?"

"Among other things." Harry, Hermione and Neville winced. This made McGonagall worry. Surely the rumors about the treatment they had been receiving that year wasn't true?

**Things couldn't have been worse.**

"Never say that." Susan Bones groaned.

**Filch took them down to Professor McGonagall's study on the first floor, where they sat and waited without saying a word to each other. Hermione was trembling.**

**Excuses, alibis, and wild cover- up stories chased each other around Harry's brain, each more feeble than the last. He couldn't see how they were going to get out of trouble this time.**

"Always have an excuse ready." Fred winced.

**They were cornered. How could they have been so stupid as to forget the cloak?**

"Yes. How indeed?" Alex sighed. "I took detention and risked twenty points so you wouldn't get caught, and you end up doing just that."

**There was no reason on earth that Professor McGonagall would accept for their being out of bed and creeping around the school in the dead of night, let alone being up the tallest astronomy tower, which was out-of-bounds except for classes. Add Norbert and the invisibility cloak, and they might as well be packing their bags already.**

"It's a good job she didn't know about those." Terry agreed.

"She does now." Hermione muttered.

**Had Harry thought that things couldn't have been worse? He was wrong.**

Susan sent him a pointed look.

**When Professor McGonagall appeared, she was leading Neville.**

"**Harry!" Neville burst out, the moment he saw the other two. "I was trying to find you to warn you, I heard Malfoy saying he was going to catch you, he said you had a drag—"**

"Sorry."

**Harry shook his head violently to shut Neville up, but Professor McGonagall had seen. She looked more likely to breathe fire than Norbert as she towered over the three of them.**

Sirius, Remus and the Weasley twins nodded.

"**I would never have believed it of any of you. Mr. Filch says you were up in the astronomy tower. It's one o'clock in the morning.****_Explain yourselves_****."**

**It was the first time Hermione had ever failed to answer a teacher's question. She was staring at her slippers, as still as a statue.**

"**I think I've got a good idea of what's been going on," said Professor McGonagall. "It doesn't take a genius to work it out. You fed Draco Malfoy some cock-and-bull story about a dragon, trying to get him out of bed and into trouble. I've already caught him, along with Miss Potter. I suppose you think it's funny that Longbottom here heard the story and believed it, too?"**

"We would never do that!" the students accused at that time protested at once.

**Harry caught Neville's eye and tried to tell him without words that this wasn't true, because Neville was looking stunned and hurt. Poor, blundering Neville —**

"OI!" Neville joked.

**Harry knew what it must have cost him to try and find them in the dark, to warn them.**

"The price we pay." Both Neville and Alex laughed.

"**I'm disgusted," said Professor McGonagall. "Five students out of bed in one night! I've never heard of such a thing before!**

"OI what are we? Chopped liver?" Sirius asked incredulously. McGonagall chose that moment to become deaf.

**You, Miss Granger, I thought you had more sense. As for you, Mr. Potter, I thought Gryffindor meant more to you than this.**

"That's low." Remus paused to comment. McGonagall looked ashamed.

**All three of you will receive detentions — yes, you too, Mr. Longbottom,****_nothing_****gives you the right to walk around school at night, especially these days, it's very dangerous — and fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor."**

"What?" Everyone called.

"**_Fifty_****?" Harry gasped — they would lose the lead, the lead he'd won in the last Quidditch match.**

"**Fifty points****_each_****," said Professor McGonagall, breathing heavily through her long, pointed nose.**

"That's how we lost all those points?" Katie raged in disbelief. "For something so trivial?"

"And Slytherin lost only twenty for _both_ of them?" Angelina gestured to Alex and Malfoy, who winced.

"We've never lost that many points and - "

"- we've done worse than staying out of bed." said Fred and George.

At the protests of her House, McGonagall shrunk in her seat. People from other houses looked uncomfortable.

"**Professor — please —"**

"**You****_can't_**—**"**

"**Don't tell me what I can and can't do, Potter. Now get back to bed, all of you. I've never been more ashamed of Gryffindor students."**

Remus was fuming and Sirius was shaking his head in great disappointment.

**A hundred and fifty points lost. That put Gryffindor in last place. In one night, they'd ruined any chance Gryffindor had had for the house cup. Harry felt as though the bottom had dropped out of his stomach. How could they ever make up for this?**

"By risking our lives, apparently." Harry commented bitterly.

**Harry didn't sleep all night. Alex had gone and stayed up with him as well, using their newfound connection to talk things out. Alex felt really bad that they had lost all those points, and Harry insisted that it hadn't been her fault.**

**He could hear Neville sobbing into his pillow for what seemed like hours. Harry couldn't think of anything to say to comfort him. He knew Neville, like himself, was dreading the dawn. What would happen when the rest of Gryffindor found out what they'd done?**

The Gryffindors (bar Neville, Harry and Hermione) all glanced at each other in shame.

**At first, Gryffindors passing the giant hourglasses that recorded the house points the next day thought there'd been a mistake. How could they suddenly have a hundred and fifty points fewer than yesterday? And then the story started to spread: Harry Potter, the famous Harry Potter, their hero of two Quidditch matches, had lost them all those points, him and a couple of other stupid first years.**

"Stupid first years?" Alex hissed. "Neville is as loyal and a good friend as they come, and Hermione is smarter than all of you combined!"

More Gryffindors - the older years - winced. That had been a good blow at their ego.

**From being one of the most popular and admired people at the school, Harry was suddenly the most hated. Even Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs turned on him, because everyone had been longing to see Slytherin lose the house cup. Everywhere Harry went, people pointed and didn't trouble to lower their voices as they insulted him.**

People looked down and sent apologetic looks his way.

**Slytherins, on the other hand, clapped as he walked past them, whistling and cheering, "Thanks Potter, we owe you one!"**

A lot of the Slytherins winced. They had payed dearly for that, courtesy of Alex.

**Only Ron and Alex stood by him.**

**Alex brandished her wand as another Ravenclaw, about a year or two older than her, began to insult Harry. This resulted to a rather nasty Jelly-Legs jinx, his companions hastily dragging him away before Alex could utter another spell.**

"I'm not apologizing to anyone I jinxed, or hexed that year." Alex huffed, glancing at her fellow peers.

"**They'll all forget this in a few weeks. Fred and George have lost loads of points in all the time they've been here, and people still like them."**

"**They've never lost a hundred and fifty points in one go, though, have they?" said Harry miserably.**

"**Well — no," Ron admitted.**

Fred and George shared a dark look.

**It was a bit late to repair the damage, but Harry swore to himself not to meddle in things that weren't his business from now on. He'd had it with sneaking around and spying.**

"How long did that last?" Lavender chuckled.

"Until I found out everyone's lives were at risk,"

**He felt so ashamed of himself that he went to Wood and offered to resign from the Quidditch team.**

Oliver sighed. The Quidditch team and everyone who knew Harry well looked shocked, he loved Quidditch.

"**_Resign_****?" Wood thundered. "What good'll that do? How are we going to get any points back if we can't win at Quidditch?"**

"He has a point." Marcus nodded.

**But even Quidditch had lost its fun. The rest of the team wouldn't speak to Harry during practice, and if they had to speak about him, they called him "the Seeker."**

"Even you two?" Alex asked Fred and George who both looked down. The team all began apologizing profusely, that Molly didn't even bother to reprimand her sons.

**Hermione and Neville were suffering, too. They didn't have as bad a time as Harry, because they weren't as well known, but nobody would speak to them, either. Hermione had stopped drawing attention to herself in class, keeping her head down and working in silence.**

Some jaws dropped. The teachers exchanged looks; they should have noticed.

**Harry was almost glad that the exams weren't far away. All the studying he had to do kept his mind off his misery.**

**He, Ron, and Hermione kept to themselves, working late into the night, trying to remember the ingredients in complicated potions, learn charms and spells by heart, memorize the dates of magical discoveries and goblin rebellions…**

**Alex ignored the rest of her housemates, joining the trio most of the day, sending Malfoy nasty looks whenever she could.**

**Then, about a week before the exams were due to start, Harry's new resolution not to interfere in anything that didn't concern him was put to an unexpected test.**

**Walking back from the library on his own one afternoon, he heard somebody whimpering from a classroom up ahead. As he drew closer, he heard Quirrell's voice.**

"**No — no — not again, please —"**

**It sounded as though someone was threatening him.**

The trio and quartet exchanged dark looks.

**Harry moved closer.**

"**All right — all right —" he heard Quirrell sob.**

**Next second, Quirrell came hurrying out of the classroom straightening his turban. He was pale and looked as though he was about to cry.**

**He strode out of sight; Harry didn't think Quirrell had even noticed him. He waited until Quirrell's footsteps had disappeared, then peered into the classroom. It was empty, but a door stood ajar at the other end. Harry was halfway toward it before he remembered what he'd promised himself about not meddling.**

A lot of people looked shocked.

**All the same, he'd have gambled twelve Philosopher's Stones that Snape had just left the room,****and from what Harry had just heard, Snape would be walking with a new spring in his step — Quirrell seemed to have given in at last.**

"I can't imagine Professor Snape skipping, can you?" Blaise asked, and those who heard either blanched or laughed at the image.

**Alex passed Quirrel at the halls on her way to the library. Neither acknowledged the other, as usual. Her head started pounding, her scar burning slightly. She brushed away the feeling. But she could have sworn, just for a moment, that she had heard**_**hissing**_**when he passed.**

"Turns out you weren't imagining it then." Daphne shook her head. People blanched.

**Harry went back to the library, where Hermione was testing Ron on Astronomy, Alex entering right after. Harry told them what he'd heard.**

"**Snape's done it, then!" said Ron. "If Quirrell's told him how to break his Anti-Dark Force spell —"**

Hermione repressed a snort.

"**There's still Fluffy, though," said Hermione.**

"**Maybe Snape's found out how to get past him without asking Hagrid," said Ron, looking up at the thousands of books surrounding them. "I bet there's a book somewhere in here telling you how to get past a giant three-headed dog. So what do we do, Harry?"**

**The light of adventure was kindling again in Ron's eyes, but Hermione answered before Harry could.**

"**Go to Dumbledore. That's what we should have done ages ago. If we try anything ourselves we'll be thrown out for sure."**

But there was a problem with that most thought.

"**But we've got no****_proof_****!" said Harry. "Quirrell's too scared to back us up. Snape's only got to say he doesn't know how the troll got in at Halloween and that he was nowhere near the third floor ("It's not Snape!" Alex protested, but was ignored)**

"Now you know how I feel." Hermione mused.

**— who do you think they'll believe, him or us? It's not exactly a secret we hate him, Dumbledore'll think we made it up to get him sacked. Filch wouldn't help us if his life****depended on it, he's too friendly with Snape, and the more students get thrown out, the better, he'll think. And don't forget, we're not supposed to know about the Stone or Fluffy. That'll take a lot of explaining."**

That was the problem exactly.

**Hermione looked convinced, but Ron didn't.**

"**If we just do a bit of poking around —"**

"**No," said Harry flatly, "we've done enough poking around."**

Jaws dropped in disbelief. Did they just hear what they think they just heard?

**"But - " Ron began, but Alex quickly cut him off.**

**"No Ron. Do you really think people would take us seriously? We're eleven, for Merlin's sake! If Voldemort**(People winced) **were to return and we'd warn people, they'd just probably think we'd gone bonkers!"**

"So true." Harry sighed.

**"Oh please! You're probably ecstatic now that Slytherin's going to win the house cup!" Ron snapped.**

"Really? You're pulling that card again?" Theo sighed

**"It's not about the house cup, you dolt! Not everything is about those damned points!" Alex hissed in reply. "I just don't want my brother getting himself killed! So excuse me for caring!"**

"Sorry." Ron scratched the back of his neck sheepishly.

"It's fine."

**Harry sighed. Ignoring the tense atmosphere, he pulled a map of Jupiter toward him and Alex and started to learn the names of its moons.**

**The following morning, notes were delivered to Harry, Hermione, and Neville at the breakfast table. They were all the same:**

**_Your detention will take place at eleven o'clock tonight._**

**_Meet Mr. Filch in the entrance hall._**

**_Professor McGonagall_**

"That's rich. Out after hours for being out after hours." Alicia drawled.

**Harry had forgotten they still had detentions to do in the furor over the points they'd lost. He half expected Hermione to complain that this was a whole night of studying lost, but she didn't say a word. Like Harry, she felt they deserved what they'd got.**

"No, you didn't." Parvarti shook her head furiously.

**At eleven o'clock that night, they said good-bye to Ron in the common room and went down to the entrance hall with Neville. Filch was already there — and so was Alex and Malfoy, the former glaring at the blonde. Harry had also forgotten that Malfoy and Alex had gotten a detention, too.**

"Oh I feel loved." Malfoy raised an eyebrow.

"Gee, thanks Harry." Alex pouted. Theo gulped and hastily looked away. It was just too cute!

"**Follow me," said Filch, lighting a lamp and leading them outside.**

"**I bet you'll think twice about breaking a school rule again, won't you, eh?"**

"Thinking about it doesn't stop you doing it." Lee snickered.

**he said, leering at them. "Oh yes…hard work and pain are the best teachers if you ask me…It's just a pity they let the old punishments die out…hang you by your wrists from the ceiling for a few days, I've got the chains still in my office, keep 'em well oiled in case they're ever needed…**

"And they won't while I'm headmaster." Dumbledore announced to Umbridge's chagrin.

**Right, off we go, and don't think of running off, now, it'll be worse for you if you do."**

**They marched off across the dark grounds. Neville kept sniffing. Harry wondered what their punishment was going to be. It must be something really horrible, or Filch wouldn't be sounding so delighted.**

"He always does when it's about punishing students." said Oliver.

**The moon was bright, but clouds scudding across it kept throwing them into darkness. Ahead, Harry could see the lighted windows of Hagrid's hut. Then they heard a distant shout.**

"**Is that you, Filch? Hurry up, I want ter get started."**

**Harry and Alex's heart rose; if they were going to be working with Hagrid it wouldn't be so bad.**

"How wrong we were."

**Harry's relief must have showed in his face, because Filch said, "I suppose you think you'll be enjoying yourself with that oaf? Well, think again, boy — it's into the forest you're going and I'm much mistaken if you'll all come out in one piece."**

Molly squeaked.

**At this, Neville let out a little moan, and Malfoy stopped dead in his tracks.**

"**The forest?" he repeated, and he didn't sound quite as cool as usual, Alex noted smugly.**

Malfoy scowled.

"**We can't go in there at night — there's all sorts of things in there — werewolves, I heard."**

Remus paused and chuckled. "No, there aren't any werewolves in the forest."

**Neville clutched the sleeve of Harry's robe and made a choking noise.**

"**That's your problem, isn't it?" said Filch, his voice cracking with glee. "Should've thought of them werewolves before you got in trouble, shouldn't you?"**

**Hagrid came striding toward them out of the dark, Fang at his heel. He was carrying his large crossbow, and a quiver of arrows hung over his shoulder.**

"**Abou' time," he said. "I bin waitin' fer half an hour already. All right, Harry, Alex? Hermione?"**

"You are a good friend." Luna said.

"**I shouldn't be too friendly to them, Hagrid," said Filch coldly, "they're here to be punished, after all."**

"**That's why yer late, is it?" said Hagrid, frowning at Filch. "Bin lecturin' them, eh? 'Snot your place ter do that. Yeh've done yer bit, I'll take over from here."**

"Go Hagrid." the twins and Lee cheered.

"**I'll be back at dawn," said Filch, "for what's left of them," he added nastily,****and he turned and started back toward the castle, his lamp bobbing away in the darkness.**

**Malfoy now turned to Hagrid.**

"**I'm not going in that forest," he said, and the twins were pleased to hear the note of panic in his voice.**

"Of all the things to notice!" Malfoy glared.

"**Yeh are if yeh want ter stay at Hogwarts," said Hagrid fiercely. "Yeh've done wrong an' now yeh've got ter pay fer it."**

"**But this is servant stuff, it's not for students to do. I thought we'd be copying lines or****something, if my father knew I was doing this, he'd—"**

"—**tell yer that's how it is at Hogwarts," Hagrid growled.**

More people cheered.

"**Copyin' lines! What good's that ter anyone? Yeh'll do summat useful or yeh'll get out. If yeh think yer father'd rather you were expelled, then get back off ter the castle an' pack. Go on."**

**Malfoy didn't move. He looked at Hagrid furiously, but then dropped his gaze.**

"**Right then," said Hagrid, "now, listen carefully, 'cause it's dangerous**

"It's the forest." Roger pointed out.

**what we're gonna do tonight, an' I don' want no one takin' risks. Follow me over here a moment."**

**He led them to the very edge of the forest. Holding his lamp up high, he pointed down a narrow, winding earth track that disappeared into the thick black trees. A light breeze lifted their hair as they looked into the forest.**

"If only there weren't monsters it would be beautiful." Most agreed with Pavarti.

"**Look there," said Hagrid, "see that stuff shinin' on the ground? Silvery stuff? That's unicorn blood.**

People gasped.

**There's a unicorn in there bin hurt badly by summat. This is the second time in a week. I found one dead last Wednesday. We're gonna try an' find the poor thing. We might have ter put it out of its misery."**

"That's awful!" Cho winced.

"**And what if whatever hurt the unicorn finds us first?" said Malfoy, unable to keep the fear out of his voice.**

"You should be scared." Ernie snorted.

"**There's nothin' that lives in the forest that'll hurt yeh if yer with me or Fang," said Hagrid.**

Ron, Alex and Harry snorted.

"Mostly Hagrid," Ron shuddered. Bloody spiders.

"**An' keep ter the path. Right, now, we're gonna split inter two parties an' follow the trail in diff'rent directions. There's blood all over the place, it must've bin staggerin' around since last night at least."**

"Poor thing." Luna said.

"**I want Fang," said Malfoy quickly, looking at Fang's long teeth.**

"**All right, but I warn yeh, he's a coward,"**

Malfoy, Alex, Harry and Ron nodded.

**said Hagrid. "So me, Harry, an' Hermione'll go one way an' Draco, Neville, Alex an' Fang'll go the other.**

"Bad pairings." Tonks said.

"I was more worried about being left alone with Slytherins." Neville said with an apologetic nod to Alex, who waved it off.

"If you don't piss me off, you're safe." she said.

**Now, if any of us finds the unicorn, we'll send up green sparks, right?****Get yer wands out an' practice now — that's it — an' if anyone gets in trouble, send up red sparks, an' we'll all come an' find yeh — so, be careful — let's go."**

"Good plan." Professor Sinistra nodded.

**The forest was black and silent. A little way into it they reached a fork in the earth path, and Harry, Hermione, and Hagrid took the left path while Malfoy, Alex, Neville, and Fang took the right. They walked in silence, their eyes on the ground. Every now and then a ray of moonlight through the branches above lit a spot of silver-blue blood on the fallen leaves.**

**Harry saw that Hagrid looked very worried.**

"**_Could_****a werewolf be killing the unicorns?" Harry asked.**

Remus shook his head. "Too slow."

"**Not fast enough," said Hagrid. "It's not easy ter catch a unicorn, they're powerful magic creatures. I never knew one ter be hurt before."**

**They walked past a mossy tree stump. Harry could hear running water; there must be a stream somewhere close by. There were still spots of unicorn blood here and there along the winding path.**

"**You all right, Hermione?" Hagrid whispered. "Don' worry, it can't've gone far if it's this badly hurt, an' then we'll be able ter — GET BEHIND THAT TREE!"**

**Hagrid seized Harry and Hermione and hoisted them off the path behind a towering oak. He pulled out an arrow and fitted it into his crossbow, raising it, ready to fire. The three of them listened. Something was slithering over dead leaves nearby: it sounded like a cloak trailing along the ground. Hagrid was squinting up the dark path, but after a few seconds, the sound faded away.**

"He was there." Harry breathed nervously, and Alex stiffened.

"**I knew it," he murmured. "There's summat in here that shouldn' be."**

"**A werewolf?" Harry suggested.**.

"Sorry! Malfoy put the idea in my head and I didn't know any better."

"**That wasn' no werewolf an' it wasn' no unicorn, neither," said Hagrid grimly. "Right, follow me, but careful, now."**

**They walked more slowly, ears straining for the faintest sound. Suddenly, in a clearing ahead, something definitely moved.**

"**Who's there?" Hagrid called. "Show yerself — I'm armed!"**

**And into the clearing came — was it a man, or a horse?**

**To the waist, a man, with red hair and beard, but below that was a horse's gleaming chestnut body with a long, reddish tail. Harry and Hermione's jaws dropped.**

Some people laughed.

"**Oh, it's you, Ronan," said Hagrid in relief. "How are yeh?"**

**He walked forward and shook the centaur's hand.**

"**Good evening to you, Hagrid," said Ronan. He had a deep, sorrowful voice. "Were you going to shoot me?"**

"He's a little melancholy." Susan snorted.

"**Can't be too careful, Ronan," said Hagrid, patting his crossbow. "There's summat bad loose in this forest. This is Harry Potter an' Hermione Granger, by the way. Students up at the school. An' this is Ronan, you two. He's a centaur.**

"**We'd noticed," said Hermione faintly.**

"Cheeky." Padma laughed.

"**Good evening," said Ronan. "Students, are you? And do you learn much, up at the school?"**

"**Erm —"**

"**A bit," said Hermione timidly.**

"She already learnt it all." Percy chuckled.

"**A bit. Well, that's something." Ronan sighed. He flung back his head and stared at the sky. "Mars is bright tonight."**

People blinked.

"Mars? As in the god of war?" Luna asked.

"**Yeah," said Hagrid, glancing up, too. "Listen, I'm glad we've run inter yeh, Ronan, 'cause there's a unicorn bin hurt — you seen anythin'?"**

**Ronan didn't answer immediately. He stared unblinkingly upward, then sighed again.**

"**Always the innocent are the first victims," he said. "So it has been for ages past, so it is now."**

An image of Cedric flashed through everyone's mind. Ginny held Harry's hand as he paled.

"**Yeah," said Hagrid, "but have yeh seen anythin' Ronan? Anythin' unusual?"**

"**Mars is bright tonight," Ronan repeated, while Hagrid watched him impatiently. "Unusually bright."**

"Mars means war and was last bright when You-Know-Who last came to power." Astoria said.

Some people exchanged looks. Mars was bright. That meant... war was coming?

"Nonsense!" Umbridge spoke up shrilly. "No such thing is going to happen!"

"**Yeah, but I was meanin' anythin' unusual a bit nearer home," said Hagrid. "So yeh haven't noticed anythin' strange?"**

**Yet again, Ronan took a while to answer. At last, he said, "The forest hides many secrets."**.

**A movement in the trees behind Ronan made Hagrid raise his bow again, but it was only a second centaur, black-haired and - bodied and wilder-looking than Ronan.**

"**Hullo, Bane," said Hagrid. "All right?"**

"**Good evening, Hagrid, I hope you are well?"**

"**Well enough. Look, I've jus' bin askin' Ronan, you seen anythin' odd in here lately? There's a unicorn bin injured — would yeh know anythin' about it?"**

**Bane walked over to stand next to Ronan. He looked skyward.**

"**Mars is bright tonight," he said simply.**

"Take the hint." Lavender sighed.

"**We've heard," said Hagrid grumpily. "Well, if either of you do see anythin', let me know, won't yeh? We'll be off, then."**

**Harry and Hermione followed him out of the clearing, staring over their shoulders at Ronan and Bane until the trees blocked their view.**

"**Never," said Hagrid irritably, "try an' get a straight answer out of a centaur. Ruddy stargazers. Not interested in anythin' closer'n the moon."**

Many chuckled at this.

"**Are there many of****_them_****in here?" asked Hermione.**

"**Oh, a fair few…Keep themselves to themselves mostly, but they're good enough about turnin' up if ever I want a word. They're deep, mind, centaurs…they know things…jus' don' let on much."**

"**D'you think that was a centaur we heard earlier?" said Harry.**

"**Did that sound like hooves to you? Nah, if yeh ask me, that was what's bin killin' the unicorns – never heard anythin' like it before."**

The trio and Quartet glowered at this. Hagrid wouldn't have, of course. It wasn't any ordinary creature.

**Yards away, Alex was getting more and more annoyed. Malfoy never ceased his ranting, and Neville refused to near either of them - not that she blamed him. The poor lad was stuck with a couple of Slytherins he barely knew.**

**" - that stupid oaf dares treat me this way. When my father hears about this, he'll be sacked - "**

**_WHAP!_**

**Malfoy held a hand to his stinging cheek, stunned. Alex had just slapped him.**

"What is it? Beat-up-Malfoy day?" Malfoy grumbled when others began to cheer.

**"Shut up and drop the houlier-than-thou attitude, would you? This is hardly the time nor the place for it!" Alex snapped at him in a hushed voice. Alerting any creatures that they were there was the last thing she wanted to do. "For Merlin's sake Malfoy, we're in the middle of a bloody forest! We - "**

**Alex paused when a bush rustled noisily close to them. Their heads snapped towards the source of the noise. The bush kept rusting. And just when Alex thought something was about to jump out, it stopped.**

"He was that bloody close?" Daphne choked.

"Why didn't you run?!" Marcus demanded, his face oddly pale.

**They walked on through the dense, dark trees. Harry kept looking nervously over his shoulder. He had the nasty feeling they were being watched.**

"Then you are." Tonks said. The boy had incredible senses.

"Their senses were never wrong." Ron agreed.

**He was very glad they had Hagrid and his crossbow with them. They had just passed a bend in the path when Hermione grabbed Hagrid's arm.**

"**Hagrid! Look! Red sparks, the others are in trouble!"**

A lot of people blanched at this (except the people present at that time).

"**You two wait here!" Hagrid shouted. "Stay on the path, I'll come back for yeh!"**

**They heard him crashing away through the undergrowth and stood looking at each other, very scared, until they couldn't hear anything but the rustling of leaves around them.**

"**You don't think they've been hurt, do you?" whispered Hermione.**

"**I don't care if Malfoy has,**

"Agreed." Many chorused in the hall."

Alex laughed at Malfoy's scowl and reached over the table to ruffl his hair. Malfoy jerked away from her at once. "Don't worry Dray. It's not your fault you were born a stuck up, arrogant, arse."

"You're not helping, Alex." he grumbled in response.

"Oh, I know."

**but if something's got Neville…it's our fault he's here in the first place."**

Neville gave a small smile.

**The minutes dragged by. Their ears seemed sharper than usual. Harry's seemed to be picking up every sigh of the wind, every cracking twig.**

**What was going on? Where were the others?**

**At last, a great crunching noise announced Hagrid's return. Malfoy, Neville, Alex and Fang were with him. Hagrid was fuming.**

Most people wondered how that was possible.

**Malfoy, it seemed, had sneaked up behind Neville and grabbed him as a joke**

Malfoy gulped at the looks he received. He still had four more books to go through.

**and was now sporting a bright red handprint on his left cheek where Alex had slapped him - hard.**

People snorted. Alex only assaulted anyone who had harmed her family and friends but with Malfoy, it was practically a daily habit.

**Neville had panicked and sent up the sparks.**

"**We'll be lucky ter catch anythin' now, with the racket you three were makin'. Right, we're changin' groups — Neville, you stay with me an' Hermione, Harry, you go with Alex, Fang an' this idiot.**

More snorts.

**I'm sorry," Hagrid added in a whisper to Harry, "but he'll have a harder time frightenin' you, an' we've gotta get this done."**

"Thanks for the confidence."

**So Harry and Alex set off into the heart of the forest with Malfoy and Fang. They walked for nearly half an hour, deeper and deeper into the forest, until the path became almost impossible to follow because the trees were so thick. Harry thought the blood seemed to be getting thicker. There were splashes on the roots of a tree, as though the poor creature had been thrashing around in pain close by. Harry could see a clearing ahead, through the tangled branches of an ancient oak.**

"**Look —" Alex murmured, holding out her arm to stop Harry and Malfoy.**

"Thanks." Malfoy said with a weak smile.

**Something bright white was gleaming on the ground. They inched closer.**

**It was the unicorn all right, and it was dead. The twins had never seen anything so beautiful and sad. Its long, slender legs were stuck out at odd angles where it had fallen and its mane was spread pearly-white on the dark leaves.**

People looked sick at the image. More at the fact that someone would actually kill a unicorn.

**Harry had taken one step toward it when a slithering sound made him freeze where he stood.**

**A bush on the edge of the clearing quivered…Then, out of the shadows, a hooded figure came crawling across the ground like some stalking beast. The twins, Malfoy, and Fang stood transfixed. The cloaked figure reached the unicorn, lowered its head over the wound in the animal's side, and began to drink its blood.**

"WHAT?" was the uproar that echoed in the hall.

"**AAAAAAAAAARGH!"**

**Malfoy let out a terrible scream**

"Which sounded like a girl's by the way." Harry chided and those who heard snickered.

**and bolted — so did Fang.**

**The hooded figure raised its head and looked right at Harry — unicorn blood was dribbling down its front. It got to its feet and came swiftly toward Harry — he couldn't move for fear even with Alex tugging at the sleeve of his robe. She had gone very pale, blood pumping loudly in her ears. From fear or pain, she didn't know.**

"NO!" People cried and Theo took Alex's hand, Ginny engulfing Harry in a hug.

Remus and Sirius' eyes were wide, faces pale and they continuously glanced at their kins, making sure they were actually alive and well, and not some form of apparition.

**Then a pain like Harry'd never felt before pierced his head; it was as though his scar were on fire. Half blinded, he staggered backward hugging what he knew was Alex's trembling body close to him. He heard hooves behind them, galloping, and something jumped clean over Harry, charging at the figure.**

"We'd never thank Firenze enough for that."

**The pain in Harry's head was so bad he fell to his knees, bringing Alex with him. It took a minute or two to pass. When he looked up, the figure had gone, but Alex was still trembling.**

**A centaur was standing over him, not Ronan or Bane; this one looked younger; he had white-blond hair and a palomino body.**

Umbridge sneered. _Filthy half-breed._

"**Are you all right?" said the centaur, helping Harry and Alex to their feet.**

"**Yes — thank you — what****_was_****that?" asked Harry.**

**The centaur didn't answer.**

**He had astonishingly blue eyes, like pale sapphires.**

"So you can give him a flattering description." Ron huffed.

**He looked carefully at each twin, his eyes lingering on the scars that stood out, livid, on the opposite sides of the twins' foreheads.**

"**You are the Potter children," he said. "You had better get back to Hagrid. The forest is not safe at this time — especially for you. Can you ride? It will be quicker this way.**

People looked between the two astonished.

"**My name is Firenze," he added, as he lowered himself on to his front legs so that Harry and Alex could clamber onto his back.**

**There was suddenly a sound of more galloping from the other side of the clearing. Ronan and Bane came bursting through the trees, their flanks heaving and sweaty.**

"**Firenze!" Bane thundered. "What are you doing? You have humans on your back! Have you no shame? Are you a common mule?"**

"**Do you realize who these are?" said Firenze. "These are the Potter children. The quicker they leave this forest, the better."**

A lot of people nodded, agreeing with the centaur.

"**What have you been telling them?" growled Bane. "Remember, Firenze, we are sworn not to set ourselves against the heavens. Have we not read what is to come in the movements of the planets?"**

**Ronan pawed the ground nervously. "I'm sure Firenze thought he was acting for the best," he said in his gloomy voice.**

**Bane kicked his back legs in anger.**

"**For the best! What is that to do with us? Centaurs are concerned with what has been foretold! It is not our business to run around like donkeys after stray humans in our forest!"**

**Firenze suddenly reared on to his hind legs in anger, so that Harry had to grab his shoulders to stay on, and Alex wrapped her arms around Harry's waist.**

"**Do you not see that unicorn?" Firenze bellowed at Bane. "Do you not understand why it was killed? Or have the planets not let you in on that secret? I set myself against what is lurking in this forest, Bane, yes, with humans alongside me if I must."**

"I like this centaur. He has guts." said Theo nuzzling his nose at the crook of Alex's neck, discreetly inhaling her scent. His mind hummed in pleasure. _Cherries and just a hint of licorice..._

**And Firenze whisked around; with Harry clutching on as best he could, Alex's arms painfully tight around his stomach,**

"Sorry Harry."

**they plunged off into the trees, leaving Ronan and Bane behind them.**

**Neither twin had a clue what was going on.**

"**Why's Bane so angry?" Alex asked. "What was that thing you saved us from, anyway?"**

**Firenze slowed to a walk, warned the twins to keep their heads bowed in case of low-hanging branches, but did not answer Alex's question. They made their way through the trees in silence for so long that Alex thought Firenze didn't want to talk to her or Harry anymore. They were passing through a particularly dense patch of trees, however, when Firenze suddenly stopped.**

"**Young Potters, do you know what unicorn blood is used for?"**

"**No," said Harry, startled by the odd question. "We've only used the horn and tail hair in Potions."**

"And that is all you will ever use." Snape said.

"**That is because it is a monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn," said Firenze. "Only one who has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, would commit such a crime. The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something pure and defenseless to save yourself, and you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips."**

Many shuddered, some looked very sick.

**Harry stared at the back of Firenze's head, which was dappled silver in the moonlight.**

"Again." Hermione said outraged.

"**But who'd be that desperate?" he wondered aloud. "If you're going to be cursed forever, death's better, isn't it?"**

"Yes." nodded Dumbledore. _If only Tom knew that..._

"**It is," Firenze agreed, "unless all you need is to stay alive long enough to drink something else — something that will bring you back to full strength and power — something that will mean you can never die. Mr. Potter, do you know what is hidden in the school at this very moment?"**

"**The Philosopher's Stone! Of course — the Elixir of Life! But I don't understand who —"**

"**Can you think of nobody who has waited many years to return to power, who has clung to life, awaiting their chance?"**

Peoples eyes widened at the realisation.

**It was as though an iron fist had clenched suddenly around Harry's heart. Over the rustling of the trees, he seemed to hear once more what Hagrid had told him and Alex on the night they had met: "Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die."**

"He didn't." snarled Harry.

"LIE - "

_BOOM!_

The goblets at the Head table exploded. People were either glancing at a fuming Harry or a livid Alex.

"**Do you mean," Alex croaked, "that was****_Vol-_****"**

"**Harry! Alex! Are you all right?"**

**Hermione was running toward them down the path, Hagrid puffing along behind her.**

"**We're fine," said Alex, hardly knowing what she was saying. She wasn't shaking anymore, but she felt oddly weak. "The unicorn's dead, Hagrid, it's in that clearing back there."**

"**This is where I leave you," Firenze murmured as Hagrid hurried off to examine the unicorn. "You are safe now."**

**Harry and Alex slid off his back.**

"I still can't believe you got to ride a centaur!" Colin said in awe.

"**Good luck, Harry and Alexis Potter,"**

"Again with the Alexis." Alex huffed. "At least it's not as bad as Lockhart."

Harry looked scandalized. "Please DON'T remind me."

**said Firenze. "The planets have been read wrongly before now, even by centaurs. I hope this is one of those times."**

"If only." McGonagall sighed.

**He turned and cantered back into the depths of the forest, leaving Harry and Alex shivering behind him.**

**Ron had fallen asleep in the dark common room, waiting for Harry and Hermione to return.**

Molly smiled at her youngest son. That was very sweet of him.

**He shouted something about Quidditch fouls when Harry roughly shook him awake.**

Dean, Seamus Neville and Harry burst out laughing. They had heard more ridiculous things.

**In a matter of seconds, though, he was wide-eyed as Harry began to tell him and Hermione what had happened in the forest.**

**Harry couldn't sit down. He paced up and down in front of the fire. He was still shaking.**

"He does that a lot when he's had some revelation." Hermione sighed.

"**Snape wants the stone for Voldemort…and Voldemort's waiting in the forest…and all this time we thought Snape just wanted to get rich…"**

"**Stop saying the name!" said Ron in a terrified whisper, as if he thought Voldemort could hear them.**

**Harry wasn't listening.**

"As normal." Ron huffed.

"**Firenze saved us, but he shouldn't have done so…Bane was furious…he was talking about interfering with what the planets say is going to happen…They must show that Voldemort's coming back…Bane thinks Firenze should have let Voldemort kill me…I suppose that's written in the stars as well."**

"**_Will you stop saying the name!"_****Ron hissed.**

"Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself." said Luna.

Dumbledore nodded. "Very well said, Miss Lovegood."

"**So all I've got to wait for now is Snape to steal the Stone," Harry went on feverishly, "then Voldemort will be able to come and finish me off…Well, I suppose Bane'll be happy."**

"Pessimist." Daphne sighed.

**Hermione looked very frightened, but she had a word of comfort.**

"**Harry, everyone says Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was ever afraid of, with Dumbledore around, You-Know-Who won't touch you.**

Harry smiled at his friends.

**Anyway, who says the centaurs are right? It sounds like fortune-telling to me, and Professor McGonagall says that's a very imprecise branch of magic."**

"Not the centaurs." McGonagall admitted.

**The sky had turned light before they stopped talking. They went to bed exhausted, their throats sore. But the night's surprises weren't over.**

**When Harry pulled back his sheets, he found his invisibility cloak folded neatly underneath them. There was a note pinned to it:**

**_Just in case._**

"Thanks." Harry called up.

**Alex and Malfoy headed back to the Slytherin common room. Both refused to acknowledge the other. They had agreed to never speak of the incident again. Well, most of the incident. Alex was planning to tell Daphne everything, with the exception of Malfoy screaming like a girl. She'd save that for her own personal blackmail.**

"Well, I've lost that now."

**"Salazar." they said as they approached the bare stone wall and stepped inside. Neither spoke as they separated, heading towards their respective dorms. Some things never change between enemies do they?**

"No, they don't." Blaise smirked.

Remus nodded. "And that's the end of the chapter. Only a couple more to go."

"I'll read next." said Tonks, and Remus handed the book to her.

* * *

**I hope you all liked this chapter. Anyways, please review!**

** ~Cassandra**


	16. Through the Trapdoor

**Hope you guys check out my other story, "Behind those Emerald Eyes". Chapter 5 is up!**

**And here's another chapter for you lot, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter; it all belongs to J.K Rowling and Warner Brothers Inc. However, I do own Alex.

**Pairings:** All are canon with the exception of my Theo/OC pairing.

* * *

"Brace yourselves," said Tonks as she read the title. "**Through the Trapdoor**"

"Ugh! If I have any grey hairs, I hold you both responsible!" Sirius groaned, and Remus and the twins chuckled.

**In years to come, the twins would never quite remember how they had managed to get through their exams when both half expected Voldemort to come bursting through the door at any moment.**

"Still don't know."

**Yet the days crept by, and there could be no doubt that Fluffy was still alive and well behind the locked door.**

Others nodded their approval.

**It was sweltering hot, especially in the large classroom where they did their written papers. They had been given special, new quills for the exams, which had been bewitched with an Anti-cheating spell.**

"Have they been tested?" A Ravenclaw spoke up.

"They've been tested." Remus snickered.

**They had practical exams as well. Professor Flitwick called them one by one into his class to see if they could make a pineapple tap dance across a desk.**

"That was the weirdest exam ever." Many agreed with Cho.

**Professor McGonagall watched them turn a mouse into a snuffbox — points were given for how pretty the snuffbox was, but taken away if it had whiskers.**

Alex and Blaise started laughing, and Daphne pouted. All she had managed to do was give the mouse a square shape. It looked rather weird.

**Snape made them all nervous, breathing down their necks while they tried to remember how to make a Forgetfulness potion.**

"Ironic." said Marcus. "The fumes from the potion would make you forget."

**Harry did the best he could, trying to ignore the stabbing pains in his forehead, which had been bothering him ever since his trip into the forest. Neville thought Harry had a bad case of exam nerves because Harry couldn't sleep, but the truth was that Harry kept being woken by his old nightmare, except that it was now worse than ever because there was a hooded figure dripping blood in it.**

Several people shivered.

**Alex wasn't faring much better. Her concentration slipped every now and then, and no matter how much Daphne and Blaise tried to help her, nothing seemed to work. Her head pounded, flashes of her nightmares playing before her eyes. Harry had been in all of them, and they all ended the same way: Harry lying across the forest floor, dead, with the hooded figure looming over him**

There were gasps and shivers. Remus held Alex when she started shaking.

**Maybe it was because they hadn't seen what the twins had seen in the forest, or because they didn't have scars burning on their foreheads, but Ron and Hermione didn't seem as worried about the Stone as Harry or Alex.**

"It was half and half, really." said Hermione.

**The idea of Voldemort certainly scared them, but he didn't keep visiting them in dreams, and they were so busy with their studying they didn't have much time to fret about what Snape (in Harry's case)or anyone else might be up to.**

"You didn't need to." Ron grumbled.

"But we'd probably be all dead if we didn't." Harry pointed out.

"True."

**Their very last exam was History of Magic. One hour of answering questions about batty old wizards who'd invented self-stirring cauldrons and they'd be free, free for a whole wonderful****week until their exam results came out. When the ghost of Professor Binns told them to put down their quills and roll up their parchment, Harry and Alex couldn't help cheering with the rest.**

"Tell me about it." said Astoria.

"**That was far easier than I thought it would be," said Hermione as they joined the crowds flocking out onto the sunny grounds. "I needn't have learned about the 1637 Werewolf Code of Conduct or the uprising of Elfric the Eager."**

People stared at her and she started shifting uncomfortably. Many shook their head fondly. Typical Hermione.

**Hermione always liked to go through their exam papers afterward, but Ron said this made him feel ill, so they wandered down to the lake and flopped under a tree. The Weasley twins and Lee Jordan were tickling the tentacles of a giant squid, which was basking in the warm shallows.**

"He likes it." The twins protested to the glares.

"He's very friendly." Lee added to the disbelieving looks.

"And you couldn't tell us that for the second task." Harry cried outraged only to receive sheepish grins.

"**No more studying," Ron sighed happily, stretching out on the grass. "You could look more cheerful, you two, we've got a week before we find out how badly we've done, there's no need to worry yet."**

"With Harry's luck you should always worry." Hermione corrected.

**Harry was rubbing his forehead, and Alex was leaning against the tree stump, her eyes closed.**

"**I wish I knew what this****_means_****!" Harry burst out angrily. "My scar keeps hurting — it's happened before, but never as often as this."**

"**Go to Madam Pomfrey," Hermione suggested.**

"If only it was that simple." said Malfoy.

"**I'm not ill," said Harry. "I think it's a warning…it means danger's coming…"**

"Again, we should really trust your instincts. It's very accurate." said Theo.

"So are half the things Ron says, haven't you noticed?" said Alex, and a fair few peered at her curiously, shaking their heads.

"What do you mean?" asked Molly.

"At the train, Ron said that You-Know-Who might be related to the robbery. Well, in a way he is. At the sorting, I quote Ron 'Fred was going on about wrestling a troll.' Well, technically we did wrestle a troll." Alex pointed out. Many blinked in realization.

"Bloody hell," Ron shook his head. "You're telling me that I joke about something, and it might actually happen in the future?"

Alex nodded. "Precisely,"

"So... you guys really are planning to rob Gringgots in the near future?" Ginny quipped, earning laughs from the rest.

"I might have to take note of that." Harry chuckled.

**Ron couldn't get worked up, it was too hot.**

Several people snorted.

"**Harry, Alex, relax, Hermione's right, the Stone's safe as long as Dumbledore's around. Anyway, we've never had any proof Snape found out how to get past Fluffy. He nearly had his leg ripped off once, he's not going to try it again in a hurry. And Neville will play Quidditch for England before Hagrid lets Dumbledore down."**

"You play Quidditch for England, Longbottom? I'm jealous." Oliver chuckled.

"Says the Captain of Puddlemere United." George retorted.

**Harry nodded, but he couldn't shake off a lurking feeling that there was something he'd forgotten to do, something important.****Alex didn't reply, her mind wandering and occasionally filling itself with Harry's thoughts. It was getting awfully bothersome.**

"And yet, you were the one who gave me a hard time by taking Arithmancy."

"I went back to Divination, didn't I?"

**When he tried to explain this, Hermione said, "That's just the exams. I woke up last night and was halfway through my Transfiguration notes before I remembered we'd done that one."**

"Oh please, schoolwork was the last thing on his mind." Seamus said.

**Harry was quite sure the unsettled feeling didn't have anything to do with work, though.**

"See? What I'd tell you?"

**He watched an owl flutter toward the school across the bright blue sky, a note clamped in its mouth. Hagrid was the only one who ever sent him and Alex letters. Hagrid would never betray Dumbledore. Hagrid would never tell anyone how to get past Fluffy…never…but…**

**Alex's eyes snapped open and turned to her brother, meeting his eyes, both of them drawing to the same conclusion.**

"What?" asked Dennis.

**_You don't think?_****She thought to him, disbelieving.**

**Harry gave her a small nod.**_**It has to be.**_

"You two already think alike, and you still have a twin link." said Arthur. "Brilliant."

**At that, the twins simultaneously jumped to their feet.**

"I hate it when they do that." Ron groaned.

"**Where're you going?" said Ron sleepily.**

"**We've just thought of something," said Harry. He had turned white. "We've got to go and see Hagrid, now."**

"Just like Hermione." Ron sighed

"**Why?" panted Hermione, hurrying to keep up.**

"**Don't you think it's a bit odd," said Alex, scrambling up the grassy slope, "that what Hagrid wants more than anything else is a dragon, and a stranger turns up who just happens to have an egg in his pocket?"**

**"How many people wander around with dragon eggs if it's against wizard law?" added Harry. "Lucky they found Hagrid, don't you think? Why didn't I see it before?"**

"I should o' known." Hagrid sighed.

"It's all right Hagrid." the twins chorused.

"I must say," said Flitwick. "I comment on both of your brilliant deduction skills"

"**What are you talking about?" said Ron, but Harry and Alex, sprinting across the grounds toward the forest, didn't answer.**

"To bloody fast."

"Ronald." Molly chided

"He's right" Hermione, Daphne, Blaise and Theo said.

**Hagrid was sitting in an armchair outside his house; his trousers and sleeves were rolled up, and he was shelling peas into a large bowl.**

"**Hullo," he said, smiling. "Finished yer exams? Got time fer a drink?"**

"**Yes, please," said Ron, but Harry cut him off.**

"Sorry Ron."

"**No, we're in a hurry. Hagrid, I've got to ask you something. You know that night you won Norbert? What did the stranger you were playing cards with look like?"**

"**Dunno," said Hagrid casually, "he wouldn' take his cloak off."**

"Hog's head?" Alicia asked. Hagrid nodded.

**He saw the four of them look stunned and raised his eyebrows.**

"**It's not that unusual, yeh get a lot o' funny folk in the Hog's Head — that's one of the pub down in the village. Mighta bin a dragon dealer, mightn' he? I never saw his face, he kept his hood up."**

**Alex sank down next to the bowl of peas. "What did you talk to him about, Hagrid? Did you mention Hogwarts at all?"**

"Subtle." Snape smirked.

"**Mighta come up," said Hagrid, frowning as he tried to remember. "Yeah…he asked what I did, an' I told him I was gamekeeper here…He asked a bit about the sorta creatures I took after…so I told him…an' I said what I'd always really wanted was a dragon…an' then…I can' remember too well, 'cause he kept buyin' me drinks…**

"Get Hagrid drunk, that gets information out of him, me and James did it enough." said Sirius. Remus laughed and Hagrid shook his head fondly.

**Let's see…yeah, then he said he had the dragon egg an' we could play cards fer it if I wanted…but he had ter be sure I could handle it, he didn' want it ter go ter any old home…So I told him, after Fluffy, a dragon would be easy…"**

"**And did he — did he seem interested in Fluffy?" Harry asked, trying to keep his voice calm.**

"You did." All others that had been present confirmed.

"**Well — yeah — how many three-headed dogs d'yeh meet, even around Hogwarts? So I told him, Fluffy's a piece o' cake if yeh know how to calm him down, jus' play him a bit o' music an' he'll go straight off ter sleep —"**

**Hagrid suddenly looked horrified.**

As did many in the hall. The teachers all groaned. "Hagrid!"

"**I shouldn'ta told yeh that!" he blurted out. "Forget I said it! Hey — where're yeh goin'?"**

**Harry, Alex, Ron, and Hermione didn't speak to each other at all until they came to a halt in the entrance hall, which seemed very cold and gloomy after the grounds.**

"**We've got to go to Dumbledore," said Harry. "Hagrid told that stranger how to get past Fluffy, and it was either Snape or Voldemort under that cloak — it must've been easy, once he'd got Hagrid drunk. I just hope Dumbledore believes us. Firenze might back us up if Bane doesn't stop him.****Where's Dumbledore's office?"**

"Should I be disappointed or proud?" asked Remus.

"It's not that we don't do anything. We just don't get caught." Harry and Alex chorused.

"Proud it is!" announced Sirius.

"I still don't get it." said Malfoy.

Alex shrugged. "I think it would be explained in the third book."

**They looked around, as if hoping to see a sign pointing them in the right direction. They had never been told where Dumbledore lived, nor did they know anyone who had been sent to see him.**

The Weasley twins and Lee gasped, affronted.

"Why I never!" Lee said in a posh voice.

"What are we - "

" - chopped liver?" said Fred and George in mock hurt.

"For the record, we didn't know - "

" - you lot that well yet." replied Harry and Alex.

"**We'll just have to —" Harry began, but a voice suddenly rang across the hall.**

"**What are you four doing inside?"**

**It was Professor McGonagall, carrying a large pile of books.**

"**We want to see Professor Dumbledore," said Hermione, rather bravely, Harry and Ron thought. Alex so desperately wanted to slap her forehead. They needed to be discreet about this, Professor McGonagall wouldn't tell them otherwise, nor would she believe a word they say.**

"This is why mud - err, Granger is in Gryffindor." said Millicent. Alex smiled to herself. There was still hope for her housemates.

"**See Professor Dumbledore?" Professor McGonagall repeated, as though this was a very fishy thing to want to do.**

"Not anymore. Those four have taken to meddling with other people's business." McGonagall said with a sigh as she gestures to the trio and Alex.

"**Why?"**

**Harry swallowed — now what?**

"**It's sort of secret," he said, but he wished at once he hadn't, because Professor McGonagall's nostrils flared.**

Facepalms.

"**Professor Dumbledore left ten minutes ago," she said coldly. "He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and flew off for London at once."**

"**He's****_gone_****?" said Harry frantically. "_Now?_"**

"**Professor Dumbledore is a very great wizard, Potter, he has many demands on his time – "**

"**But this is important."**

"**Something you have to say is more important than the Ministry of Magic, Potter?"**

"Yes." said most of the Gryffindors.

"**Look," said Harry, throwing caution to the winds,**"**Professor — it's about the Philosopher's Stone —"**

**This time Alex really did slap her forehead in frustration.**_**Harry, you idiot!**_

So did most people in the hall.

_**What did I do?**_

Cue disbelieving looks and more facepalms.

**Whatever Professor McGonagall had expected, it wasn't that. The books she was carrying tumbled out of her arms, but she didn't pick them up.**

People looked at her weirdly.

"You'd be shocked to."

"**How do you know —?" she spluttered.**

"**Professor, I think — I****_know_**— **that Sn— that someone's going to try and steal the Stone. I've got to talk to Professor Dumbledore."**

**She eyed him with a mixture of shock and suspicion.**

"**Professor Dumbledore will be back tomorrow," she said finally. "I don't know how you found out about the Stone, but rest assured, no one can possibly steal it, it's too well protected."**

The trio, the quartet and Malfoy all snorted.

"Professor, no offense, but the protection was infiltrated by a bunch of first years." said Katie.

"**But Professor —"**

"**Potter, I know what I'm talking about," she said shortly. She bent down and gathered up the fallen books. "I suggest you all go back outside and enjoy the sunshine."**

**But they didn't.**

"Of course." Snape sneered.

"**It's tonight," said Harry, once he was sure Professor McGonagall was out of earshot. "Snape's going through the trapdoor tonight. He's found out everything he needs, and now he's got Dumbledore out of the way. He sent that note, I bet the Ministry of Magic will get a real shock when Dumbledore turns up."**

"That we did." Fudge admitted.

"**But what can we —"**

**"I'm telling you it's not Sna****—"**

**Hermione gasped. Harry, Alex and Ron wheeled round.**

**Snape was standing there.**

"**Good afternoon," he said smoothly.**

"Frankly he says most things smoothly." Harry commented.

"That, sneers or snaps." Neville finished.

Snape scowled at them both.

**The trio stared at him, while Alex schooled her features into one of nonchalance and nodded curtly - something she had picked up from the girls and Blaise.**

"So we _did_ rub off on you!" Tracy Davies exclaimed gleefully.

**"Good afternoon, Professor." she greeted idly.**

"At least you're being polite." Molly sighed.

**"Miss Potter," Snape nodded to her, then turned to her companions. "You shouldn't be inside on a day like this," he said, with an odd, twisted smile.**

"That was an odd sight." Ron shook his head.

"**We were —" Harry began, without any idea what he was going to say.**

"**You want to be more careful," said Snape. "Hanging around like this, people will think you're up to something. And Gryffindor really can't afford to lose any more points, can it?"**

"If I'd been up to something, you wouldn't have caught me." Harry laughed.

"That was bellow the belt professor." Daphne had to comment, which surprised a lot of people.

**Harry flushed. They turned to go outside, but Snape called them back.**

"**Be warned, Potter — Mister Potter," he corrected as Alex turned to him along with Harry, "any more nighttime wanderings and I will personally make sure you are expelled. Good day to you."**

"I'd hardly call it a pleasant meeting." said Dean.

**He strode off in the direction of the staffroom.**

**Out on the stone steps, Harry turned to the others.**

"**Right, here's what we've got to do," he whispered urgently. "One of us has got to keep an eye on Snape — wait outside the staff room and follow him if he leaves it. Hermione, you'd better do that."**

"**Why me?"**

"Isn't it obvious, Mione?" said Fred. "You could pretend to wait for a Professor."

"Oh Professor Flitwick, I might have gotten question fourteen b wrong!" George added mockingly in a bad imitation of Hermione's voice.

A lot of people chuckled at this, and Ron, Alex and Harry started laughing when Hermione huffed.

"**It's obvious," said Ron. "You can pretend to be waiting for Professor Flitwick, you know." He put on a high voice, "'Oh Professor Flitwick, I'm so worried, I think I got question fourteen****_b_****wrong…'"**

People laughed louder as Hermione exclaimed indignantly, "I do _not_ sound like that!" and at Fred and George's horrified looks.

"**Oh, shut up," said Hermione when Alex started chuckling, but she agreed to go and watch out for Snape.**

"**And we'd better stay outside the third-floor corridor," Harry told Ron. "Come on."**

**But that part of the plan didn't work. No sooner had they reached the door separating Fluffy from the rest of the school than Professor McGonagall turned up again and this time, she lost her temper.**

"**I suppose you think you're harder to get past than a pack of enchantments!"**

"We are." They said as one and the teachers grudgingly agreed.

**she stormed. "Enough of this nonsense! If I hear you've come anywhere near here again, I'll take another fifty points from Gryffindor! Yes, Weasley, from my own house!"**

"After the injustice of the first lot you should have been begging for forgiveness." Angelina snapped

**Alex retreated to the dungeons, and Harry and Ron went back to the common room, Harry had just said, "At least Hermione's on Snape's tail," when the portrait of the Fat Lady swung open and Hermione came in.**

"**I'm sorry, Harry!" she wailed. "Snape came out and asked me what I was doing, so I said I was waiting for Flitwick, and Snape went to get him, and I've only just got away, I don't know where Snape went."**

"I wondered why you'd disappeared." Flitwick chuckled.

"**Well, that's it then, isn't it?" Harry said.**

**The other two stared at him. He was pale and his eyes were glittering.**

Hermione, Alex and Ron all groaned. They were too familiar with that look.

"**I'm going out of here tonight and I'm going to try and get to the Stone first."**

People looked at him in shock.

**_WHAT?!_****Alex's voice echoed in his head. She sounded furious.**

"Damned right I was."

"**You're mad!" said Ron.**

"**You can't!" said Hermione. "After what McGonagall and Snape have said? You'll be expelled!"**

"And here comes the really powerful, heartfelt speech that even Hermione can't debate." Ron said amusedly.

"**SO WHAT" Harry shouted. "Don't you understand? If Snape gets hold of the Stone, Voldemort's coming back! Haven't you heard what it was like when he was trying to take over? There won't be any Hogwarts to get expelled from! He'll flatten it, or turn it into a school for the Dark Arts! Losing points doesn't matter anymore, can't you see? D'you think he'll leave you and your families alone if Gryffindor wins the house cup? If I get caught before I can get to the Stone, well, I'll have to go back to the Dursleys and wait for Voldemort to find me there, it's only dying a bit later than I would have, because I'm never going over to the Dark Side! I'm going through that trapdoor tonight and nothing you two say is going to stop me! Voldemort killed my parents, remember?"**

**He glared at them.**

Anyone who has received that glare shivered.

"That could have rivaled Wood's famous 'or else' glare." mused Alicia.

"**You're right Harry," said Hermione in a small voice.**

"**I'll use the invisibility cloak," said Harry. "It's just lucky I got it back."**

"**But will it cover all three of us?" said Ron.**

"**All — all three of us?"**

"**Oh, come off it, you don't think we'd let you go alone?"**

"I did, I know now, but I did."

"**Of course not," said Hermione briskly. "How do you think you'd get to the Stone without us? I'd better go and look through my books, there might be something useful…"**

Some people laughed at the typical Hermione reaction.

"**But if we get caught, you two will be expelled, too."**

"**Not if I can help it," said Hermione grimly. "Flitwick told me in secret that I got a hundred and twelve percent on his exam. They're not throwing me out after that."**

People looked at her in awe.

"A h-hundred and twelve?" Percy exclaimed in shock. He had only gotten a hundred and five percent at most.

The Ravenclaws muttered to themselves. Why? Why wasn't she in their house?

**After dinner the three of them sat nervously apart in the common room. Nobody bothered them; none of the Gryffindors had anything to say to Harry any more, after all.**

All in Harry's year and above winced.

**This was the first night he hadn't been upset by it.**

They flinched more violently.

**Hermione was skimming through all her notes, hoping to come across one of the enchantments they were about to try to break. Harry and Ron didn't talk much. Both of them were thinking about what they were about to do.**

**Slowly, the room emptied as people drifted off to bed.**

"**Better get the cloak," Ron muttered, as Lee Jordan finally left, stretching and yawning.**

"Sorry."

**Harry ran upstairs to their dark dormitory. He pulled out the cloak and then his eyes fell on the flute Hagrid had given him for Christmas. He pocketed it to use on Fluffy — he didn't feel much like singing.**

"Shame." Hermione sighed. "You're a good singer."

**He ran back down to the common room.**

"**We'd better put the cloak on here, and make sure it covers all three of us – if Filch spots one of our feet wandering along on its own —"**

Remus snorted.

"**What are you doing?" said a voice from the corner of the room. Neville appeared from behind an armchair, clutching Trevor the toad, who looked as though he'd been making another bid for freedom.**

"He had." Neville started muttering about bloody escape artists.

"**Nothing, Neville, nothing," said Harry, hurriedly putting the cloak behind his back.**

**Neville stared at their guilty faces.**

"**You're going out again," he said.**

"**No, no, no," said Hermione. "No, we're not. Why don't you go to bed, Neville?"**

**Harry looked at the grandfather clock by the door. They couldn't afford to waste any more time, Snape might even now be playing Fluffy to sleep.**

"**You can't go out," said Neville, "you'll be caught again. Gryffindor will be in even more trouble."**

"**You don't understand," said Harry, "this is important."**

"Sorry guys."

"It's all right."

**But Neville was clearly steeling himself to do something desperate.**

"**I won't let you do it," he said, hurrying to stand in front of the portrait hole. "I'll — I'll fight you!"**

"**_Neville_****, "Ron exploded, "get away from that hole and don't be an idiot —"**

"**Don't you call me an idiot!" said Neville. "I don't think you should be breaking any more rules! And you were the one who told me to stand up to people!"**

"**Yes, but not to****_us_****," said Ron in exasperation. "Neville, you don't know what you're doing."**

"You should stand up to your friends if you think their wrong and it's hard for people who aren't use to having friends." Remus said.

Neville nodded in understanding.

**He took a step forward and Neville dropped Trevor the toad, who leapt out of sight.**

"**Go on then, try and hit me!" said Neville, raising his fists. "I'm ready!"**

**Harry turned to Hermione.**

"As always." Hermione teased.

"When in doubt, turn to Hermione." Ginny chuckled.

"**Do****_something_****," he said desperately.**

**Hermione stepped forward.**

"**Neville," she said, "I'm really, really sorry about this."**

**She raised her wand.**

"**_Petrificus Totalus!_****" she cried, pointing it at Neville.**

**Neville's arms snapped to his sides. His legs sprang together. His whole body rigid, he swayed where he stood and then fell flat on his face, stiff as a board.**

Alex's eyebrows shot up, and she grinned. "I can make a troublemaker out of you yet, Mione!" she said gleefully. Many glanced at her disbelievingly, Theo and Blaise chuckled, Fred and George formed the same grin on their faces. The professors look somewhat worried, and Snape shook his head.

**Hermione ran to turn him over. Neville's jaws were jammed together so he couldn't speak. Only his eyes were moving, looking at them in horror.**

A puzzled look crossed Oliver's face. "How is that scary?"

"Hermione could have done anything and I didn't know how long I'd be there or what could happen." Neville explained and Oliver nodded.

"**What've you done to him?" Harry whispered.**

"**It's the full Body-Bind, the spell Alex used on the troll," said Hermione miserably. "Oh, Neville, I'm so sorry."**

"**We had to, Neville, no time to explain," said Harry.**

"**You'll understand later, Neville,"****said Ron as they stepped over him and pulled on the invisibility cloak.**

"I understand now." said Neville.

**Meanwhile, Alex waited in the girls' dorm. Once silence fell, she knew her dorm mates had fallen asleep. She silently threw off the covers, revealing her plain grey pajama bottoms and white tank top. Throwing over a her Slytherin robe and taking her wand of the bedside table, Alex headed for the door.**

**"Alex? Where are you going?" Daphne called out to her in hushed tones. Alex glanced at Pansy and Millicent's beds; good, they were still asleep.**

Pansy glared.

**"I need to go help my brother." said Alex.**

**Daphne shook her head. "It's official. You're going Gryffindor on me! What you're doing is completely reckless! What if you get caught?"**

"I didn't know better at the time." said Daphne upon receiving looks from a fair few Gryffindors.

**"The dungeons are practically miles away from any teacher's quarters besides Snape's, which is in the opposite direction of where I'm heading. Only Slytherins prefects - besides Percy Weasley - patrol the dungeons, and they won't take points from their own house. If I run into Percy, I can simply tell them I've lost my cat or something of the sort." Alex argued in a whisper. She had thought of the possibilities. She doubted it would work, but it was worth a shot.**

"Now I see the differences." chuckled Ron.

**"Please Daphne! I don't want anything to happen to Harry, I'll never forgive myself." Alex begged.**

Daphne smiled at her friend.

**Daphne contemplated this and sighed. "All right. But Alex, for Merlin's sake, don't do anything stupid."**

**Alex raised an eyebrow. "When have I ever?"**

"I can name a lot." Malfoy smirked. "You want a list?"

"Shut it," Alex deadpanned and the Slytherins snickered.

**With that said, Alex left the dorms, and snuck out the common room entrance. Hopefully, she wouldn't run into anyone.**

**Leaving Neville lying motionless on the floor didn't feel like a very good omen. In their nervous state, every statue's shadow looked like Filch, every distant breath of wind sounded like Peeves swooping down on them. At the foot of the first set of stairs, they spotted Mrs. Norris skulking near the top.**

"**Oh, let's kick her, just this once," Ron whispered in Harry's ear,**

"DO IT!" Many yelled out.

**but Harry shook his head.**

"AWWW! WHY NOT?" the Weasley twins and Lee cried.

'**As they climbed carefully around her, Mrs. Norris turned her lamp like eyes on them, but didn't do anything.**

**They didn't meet anyone else until they reached the staircase up to the third floor. Peeves was bobbing halfway up, loosening the carpet so that people would trip.**

"**Who's there?" he said suddenly as they climbed toward him. He narrowed his wicked black eyes. "Know you're there, even if I can't see you. Are you ghoulie or ghostie or wee student beastie?"**

"He's gotten used to us." Sirius chuckled.

**He rose up in the air and floated there, squinting at them.**

"**Should call Filch, I should, if something's a-creeping around unseen."**

**Harry had a sudden idea.**

"And these happen to be the best ones." Hermione laughed, and Harry chuckled.

"**Peeves," he said, in a hoarse whisper, "the Bloody Baron has his own reasons for being invisible."**

"Brilliant!" Alex praised, Theo and Blaise gaping at Harry. Sirius and Remus were grinning.

Fred and George hi-fived him with wide grins.

**Peeves almost fell out of the air in shock.****He caught himself in time and hovered about a foot off the stairs.**

People roared with laughter.

"**So sorry, your bloodiness, Mr. Baron, Sir," he said greasily. "My mistake, my mistake — I didn't see you — of course I didn't, you're invisible — forgive old Peevsie his little joke, sir."**

"**I have business here, Peeves," croaked Harry. "Stay away from this place tonight."**

"**I will, sir, I most certainly will," said Peeves, rising up in the air again. "Hope your business****goes well, Baron, I'll not bother you."**

People looked on in disbelief. They had actually fooled Peeves.

**And he scooted off.**

"**_Brilliant_****, Harry!" whispered Ron.**

People cheered.

**A few seconds later, they were there, outside the third-floor corridor — and the door was already ajar.**

"**Well, there you are," Harry said quietly, "Snape's already got past Fluffy."**

**Seeing the open door somehow seemed to impress upon all three of them what was facing them. Underneath the cloak, Harry turned to the other two.**

"**If you want to go back, I won't blame you," he said. "You can take the cloak, I won't need it now."**

"**Don't be stupid," said Ron.**

"**We're coming," said Hermione.**

Many smiled at them. They really were good friends.

**"Harry!" a hushed whisper echoed down the empty corridor. The three of them turned to see Alex hurrying towards them, stopping in front of the door.**

**"Alex, what are you doing here?" Harry demanded.**

**Alex scoffed. "You don't actually think I'd let you run after the stone yourself, do you?"**

**Harry wasn't listening. "You could get hurt."**

**"So could you." Alex retorted, then said with finality. "I'm coming with you" And crossed her arms defiantly. Harry knew then if he said 'no', she'd follow anyway. There really was no room for argument.**

"Both of you really are stubborn." Ginny mused leaning on Harry's shoulder.

**"Fine." Harry sighed and pushed the door open.**

**As the door creaked, low, rumbling growls met their ears. All three of the dog's noses sniffed madly in their direction, even though it couldn't see them.**

"**What's that at its feet?" Hermione whispered.**

"**Looks like a harp," said Ron. "Snape must have left it there."**

**"I'm still telling you it's not Snape." Alex argued quietly.**

**"Oh yeah? What makes you so sure?" Ron said testily.**

**Alex shrugged. "Just a hunch."**

"That should have been a clue." Marcus shook his head.

"**It must wake up the moment you stop playing," said Harry. "Well, here goes…"**

**He put Hagrid's flute to his lips and blew. It wasn't really a tune, but from the first note the beast's eyes began to droop. Harry hardly drew breath. Slowly, the dog's growls ceased — it tottered on its paws and fell to its knees, then it slumped to the ground, fast asleep.**

"If he wasn't so big, it would be cute." Dennis said and a few nodded in agreement.

"**Keep playing," Ron warned Harry as they slipped out of the cloak and crept toward the trapdoor. They could feel the dog's hot, smelly breath as they approached the giant heads.**

"**I think we'll be able to pull the door open," said Ron, peering over the dog's back. "Want to go first, Hermione?"**

"Such a gentleman." said Blaise sarcastically.

"**No, I don't!"**

**"How about you Alex?"**

**"Not unless you want to get shoved in head first."**

"That's such a typical Alex response." Theo said with a smirk. Alex swatted his arm before resting her head on his shoulder.

Ron and Harry snorted with a few of their friends, but for a different reason, as they thought back to the chamber in second year.

"**All right." Ron gritted his teeth and stepped carefully over the dog's legs. He bent and pulled the ring of the trapdoor, which swung up and open.**

"**What can you see?" Hermione said anxiously.**

"**Nothing — just black — there's no way of climbing down, we'll just have to drop."**

**Harry, who was still playing the flute, waved at Ron to get his attention and pointed at himself.**

"Of course." Most of the adults sighed.

"**You want to go first? Are you sure?" said Ron. "I don't know how deep this thing goes. Give the flute to Hermione so she can keep him asleep."**

**Harry handed the flute over. In the few seconds' silence, the dog growled and twitched, but the moment Hermione began to play, it fell back into its deep sleep.**

**Harry climbed over it and looked down through the trapdoor. There was no sign of the bottom.**

**He lowered himself through the hole until he was hanging on by his fingertips. Then he looked up at Ron and said, "If anything happens to me, don't follow. Go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, right?"**

"**Right," said Ron.**

**"No promises." Alex added.**

"**See you in a minute, I hope…"**

**And Harry let go. Cold, damp air rushed past him as he fell down, down, down and**

People leaned forward.

**FLUMP.**

"Flump?" piped Lavender.

Everyone exchanged confused looks while the teachers who knew what that was looked worried.

**With a funny, muffled sort of thump he landed on something soft. He sat up and felt around, his eyes not used to the gloom. It felt as though he was sitting on some sort of plant.**

"Sprout." Padma commented absently.

"**It's okay!" he called up to the light the size of a postage stamp, which was the open trapdoor, "it's a soft landing, you can jump!"**

"No!" Professor Sprout cried.

**Ron followed right away. He landed, sprawled next to Harry.**

"**What's this stuff?" were his first words.**

"**Dunno, some sort of plant thing. I suppose it's here to break the fall."**

"I know, stupid thinking."

**Alex followed, albeit a bit more hesitantly, and landed next to Ron.**

**"Come on, Hermione!" Ron called up at their bushy haired friend.**

"Bushy haired?" Hermione glanced between the twins indignantly. Both shrugged and said, "We didn't write this."

**The distant music stopped. There was a loud bark from the dog, but Hermione had already jumped. She landed on Harry's other side.**

"**We must be miles under the school," she said.**

"**Lucky this plant thing's here, really," said Ron.**

"**_Lucky_****!" snarled Alex. "Look at you lot!"**

**She leapt up and struggled toward a damp wall. She had to struggle because the plant had already twisted snakelike tendrils around her legs.**

"Devil's Snare." Neville said, worried. Others who recognized the plat grew concerned as well.

**As for Harry and Ron, their legs had already been bound tightly in long creepers without their noticing.**

**Hermione had managed to free herself before the plant got a firm grip on her. Now she watched in horror as the two boys fought to pull the plant off them, but the more they strained against it, the tighter and faster the plant wound around them.**

"**Stop moving!" Hermione ordered them. "I know what this is — it's Devil's Snare!"**

"**Oh, I'm so glad we know what it's called, that's a great help," snarled Ron, leaning back, trying to stop the plant from curling around his neck.**

"Not the time for sarcasm." Molly and Percy scolded half-heartily.

"**Shut up, I'm trying to remember how to kill it!" said Hermione.**

"**Well, hurry up, I can't breathe!" Harry gasped, wrestling with it as it curled around his chest.**

Ginny wrapped her arms tightly around Harry, and Alex smiled at the both of them.

"**Devil's Snare, Devil's Snare…what did Professor Sprout say? — it likes the dark and the damp."**

"**So light a fire!" Alex gritted out as the plant wrapped itself tightly around her waist.**

Neville and Professor Sprout smiled and nodded.

"**Yes — of course — but there's no wood!" Hermione cried, wringing her hands.**

"Sorry! I was used to doing things the muggle way!" Hermione defended herself at the odd looks she received.

"**HAVE YOU GONE MAD?" Ron bellowed. "ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?"**

"Now that's motivation." Terry laughed weakly.

"**Oh, right!" said Hermione, and she whipped out her wand, waved it, muttered something, and sent a jet of the same bluebell flames she had used on Snape at the plant.**

Snape glowered at the reminder of the incident.

**In a matter of seconds, the two boys and Alex felt it loosening its grip as it cringed away from the light and warmth. Wriggling and flailing, it unraveled itself from their bodies, and they were able to pull free.**

"**Lucky you pay attention in Herbology, Hermione," said Harry as he joined her by the wall, wiping sweat off his face.**

"Very true." smiled McGonagall.

**"Lucky you knew a good spell too." Alex sighed as she stood.**

"Also very true." said Flitwick.

"**Yeah," said Ron, "and lucky Harry and Alex don't lose their heads in a crisis**

"Extremely true." chuckled Dumbledore.

— **'there's no wood,'****_honestly_****."**

Many laughed at this.

"**This way," said Harry, pointing down a stone passageway, which was the only way forward.**

**All they could hear apart from their footsteps was the gentle drip of water trickling down the walls. The passageway sloped downward, and the twins were reminded of Gringotts. With an unpleasant jolt of the heart, they remembered the dragons said to be guarding vaults in the wizards' bank. If they met a dragon, a fully-grown dragon — Norbert had been bad enough…**

Both Harry and Alex shuddered.

"You had to jinx it." Astoria shook her head.

"**Can you hear something?" Ron whispered.**

**Harry listened. A soft rustling and clinking seemed to be coming from up ahead.**

"**Do you think it's a ghost?"**

"They wouldn't make that noise." Roger chided.

"**I don't know…sounds like wings to me." said Alex.**

"Of course you'd notice that." Theo whispered to Alex who shivered, something Remus noticed and had to repress a laugh at.

"**There's light ahead — I can see something moving." said Harry.**

**They reached the end of the passageway and saw before them a brilliantly lit chamber, its ceiling arching high above them. It was full of small, jewel-bright birds, fluttering and tumbling all around the room. On the opposite side of the chamber was a heavy wooden door.**

"**Do you think they'll attack us if we cross the room?" said Ron.**

"**Probably," said Harry. "They don't look very vicious, but I suppose if they all swooped down at once…well, there's no other choice…I'll run."**

"Could you outrun them though?" asked Remus.

**He took a deep breath, covered his face with his arms, and sprinted across the room. He expected to feel sharp beaks and claws tearing at him any second, but nothing happened. He reached the door untouched. He pulled the handle, but it was locked.**

**The other three followed him. They tugged and heaved at the door, but it wouldn't budge, not even when Hermione tried her Alohomora charm.**

"There was a possibility, people look past the obvious."

"**Now what?" said Ron.**

"**These birds…they can't be here just for decoration," said Hermione.**

**They watched the birds soaring overhead, glittering —_glittering_?**

"**They're not birds!" Harry said suddenly. "They're****_keys_****! Winged keys — look carefully. So that must mean…" he looked around the chamber while the other two squinted up at the flock of keys. "…yes — look! Broomsticks! We've got to catch the key to the door!"**

"Perfect for you." Sirius said fondly.

"**But there are ****_hundreds _****of them!"**

**Ron examined the lock on the door.**

"**We're looking for a big, old-fashioned one — probably silver, like the handle."**

Molly and Arthur looked at their son proudly.

**They each seized a broomstick and kicked off into the air, soaring into the midst of the cloud of keys. They grabbed and snatched, but the bewitched keys darted and dived so quickly it was almost impossible to catch one.**

**Not for nothing, though, was Harry the youngest Seeker in a century.****He had a knack for spotting things other people didn't.**

"We've noticed." chorused most of Gryffindor and Slytherin.

**After a minute's weaving about through the whirl of rainbow feathers, he noticed a large silver key that had a bent wing, as if it had already been caught and stuffed roughly into the keyhole.**

"**That one!" he called to the others. "That big one — there — no, there — with bright blue wings — the feathers are all crumpled on one side."**

"That was fast." Hannah commented.

**Ron went speeding in the direction that Harry was pointing, crashed into the ceiling, and nearly fell off his broom.**

This earned laughs and snorts from people in the hall.

"**We've got to close in on it!" Alex called, not taking her eyes off the key with the damaged wing Harry had pointed to. "Ron, you come at it from above — Hermione, stay below and stop it from going down****— Harry,****try and catch it, and I'll stay at the side in case it slips passed. Right, NOW!"**

"So that's where your tactics come from?" Oliver said, surprised. The Slytherin team all exchanged smug looks.

**Ron dived, Hermione rocketed upward, the key dodged them both, when Alex reached for it, it slipped through her fingers, and Harry streaked after it; it sped toward the wall, Harry leaned forward and with a nasty, crunching noise, pinned it against the stone with one hand. Ron and Hermione's cheers echoed around the high chamber.**

"You just alerted the enemy." Tonks gasped.

**They landed quickly, and Harry ran to the door, the key struggling in his hand. He rammed it into the lock and turned – it worked. The moment the lock had clicked open, the key took flight again, looking very battered now that it had been caught twice.**

"**Ready?" Harry asked the other three, his hand on the door handle. They nodded. He pulled the door open.**

"So we've had Sprout and Flitwick." Colin commented.

**The next chamber was so dark they couldn't see anything at all. But as they stepped into it, light suddenly flooded the room to reveal an astonishing sight.**

**They were standing on the edge of a huge chessboard, behind the black chessmen, which were all taller than they were and carved from what looked like black stone. Facing them, way across the chamber, were the white pieces. Harry, Ron and Hermione shivered slightly – the towering white chessmen had no faces.**

"That's creepy." remarked Seamus.

"**Now what do we do?" Harry whispered.**

"**It's obvious, isn't it?" said Ron. "We've got to play our way across the room."**

**Behind the white pieces they could see another door.**

"**How?" said Hermione nervously.**

"**I think," said Ron, "we're going to have to be chessmen."**

**He walked up to a black knight and put his hand out to touch the knight's horse. At once, the stone sprang to life. The horse pawed the ground and the knight turned his helmeted head to look down at Ron.**

"**Do we — er — have to join you to get across?" The black knight nodded. Ron turned to the other three.**

"**This needs thinking about…" he said. "I suppose we've got to take the place of four of the black pieces…"**

**Harry and Hermione stayed quiet, watching Ron think. Finally he said, "Now, don't be offended or anything, but neither of you are that good at chess —"**

"You're a lot better, the best in Hogwarts." Hermione said. Ron grinned at her.

"**We're not offended," said Harry quickly.**

**Alex nodded. "Just tell us what to do."**

"**Well, Harry, Alex, you take the place of those two bishops, and Hermione, you go there instead of that castle."**

"**What about you?"**

"A knight." The Weasleys chorused.

"**I'm going to be a knight," said Ron.**

**The chessmen seemed to have been listening, because at these words a knight, bishops, and a castle turned their backs on the white pieces and walked off the board, leaving three empty squares that Harry, Ron, and Hermione took.**

"**White always plays first in chess," said Ron, peering across the board. "Yes…look…"**

**A white pawn had moved forward two squares.**

**Ron started to direct the black pieces. They moved silently wherever he sent them. Harry's knees were trembling. What if they lost?**

"Bloody pessimist." Susan mused.

"**Harry — move diagonally four squares to the right."**

**Their first real shock came when their other knight was taken.**

**The white queen smashed him to the floor and dragged him off the board, where he lay quite still, facedown.**

Peoples eyes widened, what if they did lose or one of them got taken.

**Alex's heart gave a horrible jolt. It was exactly like wizard's chess.**

"**Had to let that happen," said Ron, looking shaken. "Leaves you free to take that bishop, Hermione, go on."**

**Every time one of their men was lost, the white pieces showed no mercy. Soon there was a huddle of limp black players slumped along the wall. Twice, Ron only just noticed in time that Harry and Hermione were in danger. He himself darted around the board, taking almost as many white pieces as they had lost black ones.**

"Oh, my baby boy." Molly cried, hugging Ron tightly as she was scared he would disappear into thin air.

"Mum, I'm fine. Gerrof me, please!' Ron grunted.

"**We're nearly there," he muttered suddenly. "Let me think — let me think…"**

**The white queen turned her blank face toward him.**

"**Yes…" said Ron softly, "It's the only way…I've got to be taken."**

"**NO!" Harry, Alex and Hermione shouted.**

As did many in the hall. Molly hugged Ron tighter.

"**That's chess!" snapped Ron. "You've got to make some sacrifices! I make my move and she'll take me — that leaves you free to checkmate the king, Harry!"**

"**But —"**

"**Do you want to stop Snape or not?"**

"**Ron —"**

"**Look, if you don't hurry up, he'll already have the Stone!"**

"Can't you do anything else?" Arthur asked, worried.

**There was no alternative.**

He sighed. "Of course."

"**Ready?" Ron called, his face pale but determined. "Here I go — now, don't hang around once you've won."**

"The board would and did reset itself." Harry said.

**He stepped forward, and the white queen pounced. She struck Ron hard across the head with her stone arm, and he crashed to the floor — Hermione screamed but stayed on her square, and Alex had gone terribly pale — the white queen dragged Ron to one side. He looked as if he'd been knocked out.**

**Shaking, Harry moved three spaces to the left.**

**The white king took off his crown and threw it at Harry's feet. They had won. The chessmen parted and bowed, leaving the door ahead clear. With one last desperate look back at Ron, Harry, Alex and Hermione charged through the door and up the next passageway.**

Ron nodded.

"**What if he's —?"**

"**He'll be all right," said Harry, trying to convince himself. "What do you reckon's next?"**

"**We've had Sprout's, that was the Devil's Snare; Flitwick must've put charms on the keys; McGonagall transfigured the chessmen to make them alive; that leaves Quirrell's spell, and Snape's."**

**They had reached another door.**

"**All right?" Alex whispered.**

"**Go on."**

**Alex pushed it open.**

**A disgusting smell filled their nostrils, making both of them pull their robes up over their noses.**

**Eyes watering, they saw, flat on the floor in front of them, a troll even larger than the one they had tackled, out cold with a bloody lump on its head.**

"We should have known then." Alex hissed.

"**I'm glad we didn't have to fight that one," Harry whispered as they stepped carefully over one of its massive legs. "Come on, I can't breathe."**

Remus retched, and both Harry and Alex looked at him apologetically.

**He pulled open the next door, both of them hardly daring to look at what came next - but there was nothing very frightening in here, just a table with seven differently shaped bottles standing on it in a line.**

"**Snape's," said Harry. "What do we have to do?"**

**They stepped over the threshold, and immediately a fire sprang up behind them in the doorway. It wasn't ordinary fire either; it was purple. At the same instant, black flames shot up in the doorway leading onward. They were trapped.**

"**Look!" Hermione seized a roll of paper lying next to the bottles. Harry looked over her shoulder to read it:**

**_Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,_****_  
_****Two of us will help you, which ever you would find,**  
**One among us seven will let you move ahead,**  
**Another will transport the drinker back instead,**  
**Two among our number hold only nettle wine,**  
**Three of us are killers, waiting bidden in line.**  
**Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,**  
**To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:**  
**First, however slyly the poison tries to hide**  
**You will always find some on nettle wine's left side;**  
**Second, different are those who stand at either end,**  
**But if you would move onward, neither is your friend;**  
**Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,**  
**Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;**  
**Fourth, the second left and the second on the right**  
**Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight.**

"Very poetic Severus." McGonagall smirked making most laugh.

"Can you solve it, Moony?" asked Sirius.

Remus shook his head. "I'd need the bottles in front of me."

**Hermione let out a great sigh and Harry, amazed, saw that she was smiling, the very last thing he felt like doing. Alex raised an eyebrow in question. Her head of house had done a brilliant job in confusing them, so why on earth did Hermione look so happy?**

"What can I say? I love a challenge." Hermione quipped.

"**_Brilliant_****," said Hermione. "This isn't magic — it's logic — a puzzle. A lot of the greatest wizards haven't got an ounce of logic, they'd be stuck in here forever."**

"**But so will we, won't we?"**

"Miss Granger has reasonable logic." From Snape this was as close to compliment as she would get.

"**Of course not," said Hermione. "Everything we need is here on this paper. Seven bottles: three are poison; two are wine; one will get us safely through the black fire, and one will get us back through the purple."**

"**But how do we know which to drink?"**

"**Give me a minute."**

**Hermione read the paper several times. Then she walked up and down the line of bottles, muttering to herself and pointing at them. At last, she clapped her hands.**

"It took less than five minutes and I'm sure she checked a couple of times." Harry said before anyone asked.

"**Got it," she said. "The smallest bottle will get us through the black fire — toward the Stone."**

**Harry looked at the tiny bottle.**

"**There's only enough there for at most of us," he said. "That's hardly one swallow."**

"Of course." Many groaned at this.

"Both of you went, didn't you?" Sirius eyed Harry warily, and sighed when the boy nodded. "More grey hairs."

**They looked at each other.**

"**Which one will get you back through the purple flames?"**

**Hermione pointed at a rounded bottle at the right end of the line.**

"**You drink that," said Harry. "No, listen,**

"Here is his reason and you can't fight it." Hermione sighed, and Alex laughed.

**get back and get Ron. Grab brooms from the flying-key room, they'll get you out of the trapdoor and past Fluffy — go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, we need him. I might be able to hold Snape off for a while, but I'm no match for him, really."**

**"What do you mean **_**I**_**?" Alex snapped. "I already said I'm going with you."**

**"Alex - "**

**"No, Harry.**

"Ah, here's Alex's speech." Harry snickered.

**We're twins, and I'm staying by your side whether you want me there or not. To hell with house rivalry! My loyalties lie with family first, and I'm not about to change that just because a talking hat put me with a bunch of stuck-up, pureblood arses."**

Fred, George, Lee, Sirius, and a bunch of other Gryffindors whooped.

"For the record, I didn't mean you guys." Aex rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly, when Daphne, Theo, Blaise, Astoria, Marcus and Adrian turned to her.

**Alex slipped her hand in Harry's and held it tightly. Meeting his sister's eyes, Harry nodded with a small smile. Hermione too, let a smile slip, when a sudden thought occurred to her.**

"**But — what if You-Know-Who's with him?"**

"**Well — we were lucky once, weren't we?" said Harry, pointing at his scar. "We might get lucky again."**

"Please don't say that." Remus groaned.

"You're relying on luck?" Adrian asked incredulously.

"We do, most of the time." said Alex.

Sirius was muttering to himself.

**Hermione's lip trembled, and she suddenly dashed at the twins and threw an arm around both of them.**

"Awwww!" the females in the room (bar Pansy) cooed.

"**_Hermione!"_**

"**Harry — you're a great wizard, you know. Alex****— you're a brilliant witch."**

"**We're not as good as you," said Harry, very embarrassed, as she let go of him and Alex.**

**"We're not as smart, or talented." Alex added.**

There were scoffs, and snorts around the hall.

"**Me!" said Hermione. "Books! And cleverness! There are more important things — friendship and bravery, loyalty and cunning and — oh Harry, Alex —****_be careful!_****"**

"**You drink first," said Harry.**

**"You are sure which is which, aren't you?" said Alex.**

"We never doubted her, but we wanted- "

" - to make sure she got through all right." said the Potter twins.

"**Positive," said Hermione. She took a long drink from the round bottle at the end, and shuddered.**

"**It's not poison?" said Harry anxiously.**

"**No — but it's like ice."**

"**Quick, go, before it wears off."**

**"Good luck — take care."**

"**GO!" the twins chorused.**

**Hermione turned and walked straight through the purple fire.**

"It was surreal." Hermione said.

**Harry took a deep breath and picked up the smallest bottle. He turned to face the black flames, then to Alex. "Ready?"**

**Alex nodded. "As I'll ever be."**

"**Here we come," they said, and Harry drained half of the little bottle in one gulp, and Alex dawned the other half.**

**It was indeed as though ice was flooding their body. Alex put the bottle down, took Harry's hand in hers again and they walked forward; they braced themselves, saw the black flames licking their bodies, but couldn't feel them — for a moment they could see nothing but dark fire — then they were on the other side, in the last chamber.**

**There was already someone there — but it wasn't Snape. It wasn't even Voldemort.**

"Who?" Majority of the hall asked anxiously. Most of them had figured it was Snape.

"Too late for 'I told you so's?" Alex grinned cheekily at her twin.

Harry rolled his eyes. "You can do that in the next chapter."

"Well, hurry up! Who's reading next?" Daphne said, getting more apprehensive by the minute.

"I'll do it." Millicent said, and the book was handed to her. However, her eyes widened considerable as she read the first line. "No bloody way."

* * *

**I hope you all liked this chapter. Anyways, please review!**

** ~Cassandra**


	17. The Man With Two Faces

**Hope you guys check out my other story, "Behind those Emerald Eyes". Chapter 5 is up!**

**And here's another chapter for you lot, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter; it all belongs to J.K Rowling and Warner Brothers Inc. However, I do own Alex.

**Pairings:** All are canon with the exception of my Theo/OC pairing.

* * *

"Well, who is it?" Sirius asked anxiously, while others were leaning on the edge of their seats.

Millicent only sat there, gaping at the book. Finally, Pansy had enough.

"For goodness sake, Millicent! READ!"

Millicent blinked, glancing around at all the worried and curious faces, "**The Man with Two Faces**"

People leaned closer.

**It was Quirrell.**

"WHAAAAT?" the cry echoed through the castle, some falling out of their seats in shock, while those who already knew of Quirrel looked frustrated (and facepalmed in Harry and Alex's case).

Somewhere in the Forbidden Forest, the centaurs looked up, confused.

"_**You!" **_**gasped Harry.**

**Quirrell smiled. His face wasn't twitching at all.**

Some people raised eyebrows.

"**Me," he said calmly. "I wondered whether I'd be meeting you here, Potters."**

"**But I thought — Snape —"**

"**Severus?" Quirrell laughed, and it wasn't his usual quivering treble, either, but cold and sharp. "Yes, Severus does seem the type, doesn't he? So useful to have him swooping around like an overgrown bat. Next to him, who would suspect p-p-poor, st-stuttering P-Professor Quirrell?"**

"His stutter was FAKE?" Angelina snapped, and Katie groaned.

"And to think we had such a hard time learning that year."

**Harry couldn't take it in. This couldn't be true, it couldn't. Alex was caught between being smug that she had been right about the culprit not being Snape,**

"HA! I told you so!" Alex pointed to Harry, who groaned. Snape smirked.

"You're never going to let that go, are you?" Harry whined.

"Pfft, never!"

**and annoyed that she struggled all year because of a stupid fake stutter.**

There were nods of agreement all around to those who were present that year.

"**But Snape tried to kill me!"**

"I was so convinced and I thought Quirrell was a victim, it was hard to process." He said, slightly apologetic.

**"You should try listening to your sister more often, boy. No, no, no. **_**I **_**tried to kill you. Your friend Miss Granger accidentally knocked me over as she rushed to set fire to Snape at that Quidditch match. She broke my eye contact with you.**

"Thank Merlin for Hermione." said Ron and kissed the said girl on the cheek. Hermione blushed when the Potter twins and Ginny started snickering.

**Another few seconds and I'd have got you off that broom. I'd have managed it before then if Snape hadn't been muttering a counter-curse, trying to save you."**

"Well? I'm waiting?" Alex smirked. Harry made to stand up.

"What are you doing?" Ron said.

"Swallowing my pride." Harry replied. "Professor Snape." Harry spoke clearly, and everyone watched him, confused - including Snape. "Thank you for trying and helping to save me and I once again apologize for ever suspecting you." Harry said looking Snape.

There were gasps all wound.

THUMP.

Malfoy fainted, and it took Blaise, Theo, Daphne, Alex and Marcus to revive him.

"**Snape was trying to **_**save **_**me?"**

**"I've been trying to tell you it wasn't him, and you never listened to me." Alex muttered, still glaring at Quirrel.**

"**Of course," said Quirrell coolly. "Why do you think he wanted to referee your next match? He was trying to make sure I didn't do it again. Funny, really…he needn't have bothered. I couldn't do anything with Dumbledore watching. All the other teachers thought Snape was trying to stop Gryffindor from winning, he **_**did **_**make himself unpopular…and what a waste of time, when after all that, I'm going to kill you both tonight."**

"You two are dead? I would never have guessed." Lee joked and a lot laughed.

Theo wrapped an arm around Alex's waist and pecked her cheek. "Nope. She's solid."

**Quirrell snapped his fingers. Ropes sprang out of thin air and wrapped themselves tightly around Harry and Alex.**

"Wandless magic." A few muttered.

"**You're too nosy to live, Potters. Scurrying around the school on Halloween like that, for all I knew you'd seen me coming to look at what was guarding the Stone."**

"_**You **_**let the troll in?" Alex asked in disbelief, "And to think that I thought you were afraid of your own shadow."**

"That was not the time to be cheeky, Miss Potter." Snape said, scolding, and Alex shrugged.

"**Certainly. I have a special gift with trolls — you must have seen what I did to the one in the chamber back there? ****Unfortunately, while everyone else was running around looking for it, Snape, who already suspected me, went straight to the third floor to head me off — and not only did my troll fail to beat you to death, that three-headed dog didn't even manage to bite Snape's leg off properly.**

"**Now, wait quietly, Pottera. I need to examine this interesting mirror."**

**It was only then that the twins realized what was standing behind Quirrell. It was the Mirror of Erised.**

"What's it doing there?" Marcus asked.

"**This mirror is the key to finding the Stone," Quirrell murmured, tapping his way around the frame. "Trust Dumbledore to come up with something like this…but he's in London…I'll be far away by the time he gets back…"**

"Or dead." McGonagall muttered.

**All the twins could think of doing was to keep Quirrell talking and stop him from concentrating on the mirror.**

"**I saw you and Snape in the forest —" he blurted out.**

"**Yes," said Quirrell idly, walking around the mirror to look at the back. "He was on to me by that time, trying to find out how far I'd got. He suspected me all along. Tried to frighten me — as though he could, when I had Lord Voldemort on my side…"**

"Wormtail." Harry coughed.

**Quirrell came back out from behind the mirror and stared hungrily into it. **"**I see the Stone…I'm presenting it to my master…but where is it?"**

**Harry and Alex struggled against the ropes binding them, but they didn't give. They **_**had **_**to keep Quirrell from giving his whole attention to the mirror.**

_**Say something, **_**thought Harry desperately.**

**Alex glanced at him briefly,_ Like_**_** what?**_

_**I don't know!**_

"**But Snape always seemed to hate us so much." said Alex, blurting the first thing that came into her mind.**

"**Oh, he does," said Quirrell casually, "heavens, yes**** — rather, he hates Mr. Potter**. He was at Hogwarts with your father, didn't you know? They loathed each other.

Remus, Sirius, Alex and Harry grimaced.

**But he never wanted you **_**dead**_**."**

"**But I heard you a few days ago, sobbing — I thought Snape was threatening you…" Harry added.**

**For the first time, a spasm of fear flitted across Quirrell's face.**

"**Sometimes," he said, "I find it hard to follow my master's instructions — he is a great wizard and I am weak —"**

"Correct on both accounts." Harry and Alex chorused.

"If only Voldemort wasn't a psycho." Ron said.

"He could have done a lot of good in the world." Hermione agreed.

"**You mean he was there in the classroom with you?" Harry gasped.**

"**He is with me wherever I go," said Quirrell quietly. "I met him when I travelled around the world. A foolish young man I was then, full of ridiculous ideas about good and evil. Lord Voldemort showed me how wrong I was. There is no good and evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it…Since then, I have served him faithfully, although I have let him down many times. He has had to be very hard on me." Quirrell shivered suddenly. ****"He does not forgive mistakes easily. When I failed to steal the stone from Gringotts, he was most displeased. He punished me…decided he would have to keep a closer watch on me…"**

**Quirrell's voice trailed away. Harry was remembering their trip to Diagon Alley — how could he have been so stupid? He'd **_**seen **_**Quirrell there that very day, he and Alex had shaken hands with him in the Leaky Cauldron.**

**Alex's eyes narrowed. So it wasn't a coincidence that her scar burned every time she passed Quirrel in the corridors. And something ****— something in Quirrel was responsible for triggering the mind link between her and Harry. But what?**

**Quirrell cursed under his breath.**

"**I don't understand…is the Stone **_**inside **_**the mirror? Should I break it?"**

"We should have just let him break it." Harry sighed.

**The twins' minds were racing.**

**What I want more than anything else in the world at the moment, Alex thought, is to find the Stone before Quirrell does. So if I look in the mirror, I should see myself finding it — which means I'll see where it's hidden!**

"Very good, Miss Potter." Dumbledore smiled.

**But how can I look without Quirrell realizing what I'm up to?**

**Harry, who was closer, tried to edge to the left, to get in front of the glass without Quirrell noticing, but the ropes around his ankles were too tight: he tripped and fell over. Quirrell ignored him.**

Many Slytherins facepalmed.

**He was still talking to himself.**

"**What does this mirror do? How does it work? Help me, Master!"**

**And to twins' horror, a voice answered, and the voice seemed to come from Quirrell himself.**

"**Use the boy…Use the girl…"**

Harry was struggling against Sirius' extremely tight hold, and Alex was awkwardly patting a near-hysterical Remus.

**Quirrell rounded on Harry and Alex.**

"**Yes — Potters — come here."**

**He clapped his hands once, and the ropes binding Harry fell off.**

"Idiot!" cried Daphne. She was glad the twins were okay, really she was, but the man's stupidity astounded her. One should never release an enemy!

**Harry got slowly to his feet, and helped Alex up.**

"**Come here," Quirrell repeated. "Look in the mirror and tell me what you see."**

**Harry walked toward him, Alex in tow.**

_**I must lie**_**, he thought desperately**_**. I must look and lie about what I see, that's all.**_

_**Make it believable. **_**Alex reminded him.**

"If only it where that simple." Snape muttered.

**Quirrell moved close behind them. Harry breathed in the funny smell that seemed to come from Quirrell's turban.**

**He closed his eyes, stepped in front of the mirror, and opened them again.**

**He saw his reflection, pale and scared-looking at first. Alex, whose reflection was standing next to his, masked her emotions. But a moment later, Alex's reflection smiled at him. It put its hand into its pocket and pulled out a blood-red stone. It winked and handed the Stone to his reflection, who put the Stone in its pocket — and as it did so, Harry felt something heavy drop into his real pocket.**

**Somehow — incredibly — **_**he'd gotten the Stone.**_

A lot of eyebrows moved to people's hair lines.

"**Well?" said Quirrell impatiently. "What do you see?"**

**Harry screwed up his courage.**

"**I see myself shaking hands with Dumbledore," he invented. "I — I've won the house cup for Gryffindor."**

**Quirrell turned to Alex.**

**"I see my friends surrounding me**** — Slytherin's won the Quidditch cup." she said plainly.**

"Huh," Alex mused.

"Lucky guess." Adrian chuckled.

**Quirrel cursed again.**

"**Get out of the way," he said.**

**As Harry moved aside, he felt the Philosopher's Stone against his leg. Dare he make a break for it? He glanced at Alex, who gave a subtle nod. They both started backing away.**

**But neither had walked five paces before a high voice spoke, though Quirrell wasn't moving his lips.**

"**They lie…They lie…"**

Ginny, Ron and Hermione had joined in the hugging, and Harry was squished between them.

Theo had snatched Alex away from Remus, who gripped her arm, Blaise gripping the other.

"**Potters, come back here!" Quirrell shouted. "Tell me the truth! What did you just see?"**

**The high voice spoke again.**

"**Let me speak to them…face-to-face…"**

"**Master, you are not strong enough!"**

"**I have strength enough…for this…"**

**Harry felt as if Devil's Snare was rooting him to the spot. He couldn't move a muscle. Petrified, he watched as Quirrell reached up and began to unwrap his turban. Alex was clutching his arm tightly, she was trembling. What was going on? The turban fell away. Quirrell's head looked strangely small without it. Then he turned slowly on the spot.**

**They would have screamed, but neither could make a sound. Where there should have been a back to Quirrell's head, there was a face, the most terrible face the twins had ever seen. It was chalk white with glaring red eyes and slits for nostrils, like a snake.**

THUMP.

Umbridge had fainted, and Fudge was gaping. The twins couldn't have felt more triumphant.

"Now do you believe us?" Alex sneered to those who had insulted them.

"And to think people said we were awful liars." Harry mocked.

McGonagall finally managed to revive Umbridge after a few minutes.

"**Harry and Alexis Potter…" it whispered.**

**Harry tried to take a step backward but his legs wouldn't move, and Alex was holding him in place.**

"Sorry."

**He wrapped his other arm around her protectively.**

"**See what I have become?" the face said. "Mere shadow and vapour…I have form only when I can share another's body…but there have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds…Unicorn blood has strengthened me, these past weeks…you saw faithful Quirrell drinking it for me in the forest…and once I have the Elixir of Life, I will be able to create a body of my own…Now…why don't you give me that Stone in your pocket?"**

**So he knew. The feeling suddenly surged back into Harry's legs. He stumbled backward, taking Alex with him.**

"**Don't be a fool," snarled the face. "Better save your own life and join me…or you'll meet the same end as your parents…They died begging me for mercy…"**

Remus let out a growl.

"THEY NEVER BEGGED!" Sirius snarled.

"**LIAR!" Harry shouted suddenly.**

**Quirrell was walking backward at them, so that Voldemort could still see them. The evil face was now smiling.**

"Never a good sign." Harry scowled.

"**How touching…" it hissed. "I always value bravery…Yes, child, your parents were brave…I killed your father first; and he put up a courageous fight…but your mother needn't have died…she was trying to protect you…**

_Why needn't she die._ A lot of people thought.

Alex glanced up at Snape.

**Now give me the Stone, unless you want her to have died in vain."**

"**NEVER!" Alex snarled, regaining her senses. ****Voldemort glanced at her, and her eyes narrowed. **

**"A Slytherin and a Gryffindor working together, simply unheard of." he mused, "You know what it feels like, young Alexis: the thirst to prove yourself to others, that you can be just as good as them, maybe better. You want to rid yourself of the biased opinions. You can both join me, and you can show others your true potential."**

People were staring at Alex in shock ans she ignored them all, Harry's reassurances echoing in her head.

**"I'd rather die than betray my friends." Alex hissed. "And you can take your offer and shove it up your**** arse."**

WHAP!

"GAH! What was that for Daph?" Alex whined, rubbing the sore spot on her face.

"What the hell, Alex?" Daphne snapped. "Are you asking to be killed?"

"You've been around the Gryffs way too much." Blaise sighed and shook his head in disappointment.

"OI!" Several Gryffindors cried, offended.

**Harry hauled her up and both sprang toward the flame door, but Voldemort screamed "SEIZE THEM!" and the next second, Alex felt Quirrell's hand close on his wrist. At once, a needle-sharp pain seared across her forehead scar; her head felt as though it was about to split in two. The pain flowed their connection. Harry yelled, Alex struggling with all her might, and to their surprise, Quirrell let go of her.**

Brow furrowed and the book received confused looks.

**The pain in their heads lessened — Harry looked around wildly to see where Quirrell had gone, and saw him hunched in pain, looking at his fingers — they were blistering before his eyes.**

"**Seize them! SEIZE THEM!" shrieked Voldemort again, and Quirrell lunged, knocking Harry clean off his feet landing on top of him, both hands around Harry's neck —**

**Harry's scar was almost blinding him with pain, yet he could see Quirrell howling in agony.**

"**Master, I cannot hold him — my hands — my hands!"**

**And Quirrell, though pinning Harry to the ground with his knees, let go of his neck and stared, bewildered, at his own palms — Harry could see they looked burned, raw, red, and shiny.**

"**Then kill them, fool, and be done!" screeched Voldemort.**

"And they didn't do that first because...?" asked Tonks. "I swear, having Quirrel as a host muddled his brain."

**Quirrell raised his hand to perform a deadly curse on Harry, but Alex, who had been knocked out of the way, reached out and grabbed Quirrell's face —**

"**AAAARGH!"**

**Quirrell rolled off Harry, his face blistering, too, and then Harry knew: Quirrell couldn't touch ****their bare skin, not without suffering terrible pain — ****their only chance was to keep hold of Quirrell, keep him in enough pain to stop him from doing a curse.**

Alex and Harry winced.

**Harry jumped to his feet, caught Quirrell by the arm, and hung on as tight as he could. Alex kept a firm hold on the man's face.**

**Quirrell screamed and tried to throw the twins off — the pain in their heads was building — neither could see — they could only hear Quirrell's terrible shrieks and Voldemort's yells of, "KILL THEM! KILL THEM!" and other voices, maybe in twins' own heads, crying, "Harry! Alexis!"**

People sat up straighter.

**_Harry... _Alex had finally dropped to the ground, unconscious. Harry felt Quirrell's arm wrenched from his grasp, knew all was lost, and fell into blackness, down…down…down…**

**Something gold was glinting just above him. The Snitch!**

"You and your Quidditch obsessed mind." Ginny chuckled.

"Blame Wood." said Harry with a shrug. Oliver looked oddly proud - though a bit pale.

**He tried to catch it, but his arms were too heavy.**

**He blinked. It wasn't the Snitch at all. It was a pair of glasses. How strange.**

**He blinked again. The smiling face of Albus Dumbledore swam into view above him.**

People started laughing.

"**Good afternoon, Harry," said Dumbledore.**

**Harry stared at him. Then he remembered: "Sir! The Stone! It was Quirrell! He's got the Stone! Sir, quick —"**

"Your face was priceless." Alex smiled softly.

"**Calm yourself, dear boy, you are a little behind the times," said Dumbledore. "Quirrell does not have the Stone."**

"**Then who does? Sir, I —"**

"**Harry, please relax, or Madam Pomfrey will have me thrown out."**

More people laughed imagining that.

**Harry swallowed, his mind whirring. "Alex**** —"**

**"Harry!" A pair of arms encircled his neck, wrapping him in a bone-crushing hug. Harry returned it with fervor, recognizing the person's form. "You're alright!"**

**"I am." Harry let go and**** looked around him. He realized he must be in the hospital wing.**

**He was lying in a bed with white linen sheets; Alex was sitting on the edge of his bed, and next to him was a table piled high with what looked like half the candy shop.**

A lot of people nodded and some laughed.

"**Tokens from your friends and admirers," said Dumbledore, beaming. "What happened down in the dungeons between you and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret, so, naturally, the whole school knows.**

The twins sighed.

**I believe your friends Misters Fred and George Weasley were responsible for trying to send you a toilet seat.**

"So that's what happened to it." Ginny laughed.

"Fred, George." Molly scolded but the twins weren't listening.

**No doubt they thought it would amuse you.**

"It did."

**Madam Pomfrey, however, felt it might not be very hygienic, and confiscated it."**

"AWWW!" Fred and George whined.

"**How long have we been in here?"**

"**Three days. Mr. Ronald Weasley and Miss Granger will be most relieved you have come round, they have been extremely worried."**

"Of course." They said.

"**But sir, the Stone —"**

"**I see you are not to be distracted. Very well, the Stone. Professor Quirrell did not manage to take it from you. I arrived in time to prevent that, although you were doing very well on your own, I must say."**

Some people chuckled and others looked at them weirdly.

"**You got there? You got Hermione's owl?" Alex asked.**

"**We must have crossed in midair. No sooner had I reached London than it became clear to me that the place I should be was the one I had just left. I arrived just in time to pull Quirrell off you."**

"**It was **_**you**_**." said Harry in realization.**

"**I feared I might be too late."**

"**You nearly were, we couldn't have kept him off the Stone much longer –" Harry began.**

"**Not the Stone, boy, you — the effort involved nearly killed both of you. For one terrible moment there, I was afraid it had.**

A lot of people winced.

**As for the Stone, it has been destroyed."**

"**Destroyed?" said Alex blankly. "But your friend — Nicolas Flamel —"**

"**Oh, you know about Nicolas?" said Dumbledore, sounding quite delighted. "You **_**did **_**do the thing properly, didn't you? Well, Nicolas and I have had a little chat, and agreed it's all for the best."**

"**But that means he and his wife will die, won't they?"**

"**They have enough Elixir stored to set their affairs in order and then, yes, they will die."**

**Dumbledore smiled at the look of amazement on twins' faces.**

Dumbledore chuckled, remembering.

"**To one as young as you, I'm sure it seems incredible, but to Nicolas and Perenelle, it really is like going to bed after a very, **_**very **_**long day. After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure. You know, the Stone was really not such a wonderful thing. As much money and life as you could want! The two things most human beings would choose above all — the trouble is, humans do have a knack of choosing precisely those things that are worst for them."**

**Harry lay there, lost for words. Alex sat, stunned. Dumbledore hummed a little and smiled at the ceiling.**

"**Sir?" said Harry. "I've been thinking…sir — even if the Stone's gone, Vol-, I mean, You-Know-Who —"**

People raised eyebrows at this.

"**Call him Voldemort, Harry. Always use the proper name for things. Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself."**

"Please remember that." Alex whined, through out the book when the name was read most people shuddered and couldn't do it properly and flinches went through the room.

"**Yes, sir. Well, Voldemort's going to try other ways of coming back, isn't he? I mean, he hasn't gone, has he?"**

"**No, Harry, he has not. He is still out there somewhere, perhaps looking for another body to share…not being truly alive, he cannot be killed. He left Quirrell to die; he shows just as little mercy to his followers as his enemies.**

"And some would do well to remember that." Dumbledore said.

**Nevertheless, Harry, while you and Alexis may only have delayed his return to power, it will merely take someone else who is prepared to fight what seems a losing battle next time — and if he is delayed again, and again, why, he may never return to power."**

**Harry nodded, but stopped quickly, because it made his head hurt. Then Alex said, "Sir, there are some other things we'd like to know, if you can tell us…things we want to know the truth about…"**

"**The truth." Dumbledore sighed. "It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution. However, I shall answer your questions unless I have a very good reason not to, in which case I beg you'll forgive me. I shall not, of course, lie."**

"Only say half-truths." Harry and Alex frowned.

"**Well…Voldemort said that he only killed our mother because she tried to stop him from killing us. But why would he want to kill us in the first place?"**

**Dumbledore sighed very deeply this time.**

"**Alas, the first thing you ask me, I cannot tell you. Not today. Not now. You will know, one day…put it from your mind for now, Alex. When you are older…I know you hate to hear this…when you are ready, you will know."**

Harry and Alex shot the aged headmaster a look, to which he nodded at. _If the books don't tell them, I will._

**And the twins knew it would be no good to argue.**

"**But why couldn't Quirrell touch us?" chided Harry.**

"**Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. He didn't realize that love as powerful as your mother's for you leaves its own mark. Not a scar, no visible sign…to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever. It is in your very skin. Quirrell, full of hatred, greed, and ambition, sharing his soul with Voldemort, could not touch you for this reason. It was agony to touch a person marked by something so good."**

"Mum and dad were heroes too."

**Dumbledore now became very interested in a bird out on the windowsill, which gave Harry time to dry his eyes on the sheet.**

**When he had found his voice again, Harry said, "And the invisibility cloak — do you know who sent it to me?"**

"**Ah — your father happened to leave it in my possession, and I thought you might like it." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Useful things…your father used it mainly for sneaking off to the kitchens to steal food when he was here."**

"And the pranks." Remus smiled. "Never forget the pranks."

Sirius snickered. "Well said Moony."

"**And there's something else…" Harry began.**

"**Fire away."**

"**Quirrell said Snape —"**

"_**Professor **_**Snape, Harry."**

"**Yes, him — " Harry ignored the look Alex shot him,**

"Don't you always." Hermione laughed.

**"Quirrell said he hates me because he hated our father. Is that true?"**

"**Well, they did rather detest each other. Not unlike yourselves and Mr. Malfoy. And then, your father did something Snape could never forgive."**

"**What?"**

"**He saved his life."**

"Not just that apparently." Alex said.

"_**What**_**?"**

"**Yes…" said Dumbledore dreamily. "Funny, the way people's minds work, isn't it? Professor Snape couldn't bear being in your father's debt…I do believe he worked so hard to protect you this year because he felt that would make him and your father even. Then he could go back to hating your father's memory in peace…"**

**Harry tried to understand this but it made his head pound, so he stopped. "But he likes Alex well enough."**

"There's a reason for that too apparently." Harry sighed.

**"Ah... house rivalries are rather interesting, wouldn't you say?"**

"Very," chorused most of the hall.

**Alex hummed, "And sir, there's one more thing…"**

"**Just the one?"**

"**How did we get the Stone out of the mirror?"**

"**Ah, now, I'm glad you asked me that. It was one of my more brilliant ideas, and between you and me, that's saying something.**

People laughed at that.

**You see, only one who wanted to **_**find **_**the Stone — find it, but not use it — would be able to get it, otherwise they'd just see themselves making gold or drinking Elixir of Life.**

People really were impressed.

**My brain surprises even me sometimes…Now, enough questions. I suggest you make a start on these sweets. Ah! Bettie Bott's Every Flavour Beans! I was unfortunate enough in my youth to come across a vomit flavoured one,**

People shuddered. George especially, gagged. Eurgh, bogies.

**and since then I'm afraid I've rather lost my liking for them — but I think I'll be safe with a nice toffee, don't you?"**

**He smiled and popped the golden-brown bean into his mouth. Then he choked and said, "Alas! Ear wax!"**

People laughed and gagged.

**Madam Pomfrey, the nurse, was a nice woman, but very strict. **.

"Thank you Mr. and Miss Potter."

"**Just five minutes," Harry pleaded.**

"**Absolutely not."**

"**You let Professor Dumbledore in…" Alex insisted.**

"**Well, of course, that was the headmaster, quite different. You need **_**rest**_**."**

"**I am resting, look, lying down and everything." said Harry.**

"James used the same argument." Sirius chortled.

**Alex nodded in agreement. "And I woke up yesterday! Oh, go on, Madam Pomfrey…"**

"She won't." chorused a whole bunch of students..

"**Oh, very well," she said. "But five minutes **_**only**_**."**

**And she let Ron and Hermione in.**

Jaws dropped. Madam Pomfrey and Dumbledore chuckled at this.

"_**Harry! Alex!"**_

**Hermione looked ready to fling her arms around the. again, but Harry was glad she held herself in as his head was still very sore.**

"**Oh, we were sure you two were going to — Dumbledore was so worried —"**

"**The whole school's talking about it," said Ron. "What **_**really **_**happened?"**

**It was one of those rare occasions when the true story is even more strange and exciting than the wild rumours. Harry and Alex told them everything: Quirrell; the mirror; the Stone; and Voldemort. Ron and Hermione were a very good audience; they gasped in all the right places, and when the twins told them what was under Quirrell's turban, Hermione screamed out loud.**

"It was a shock." defended Hermione.

Alex nodded, looking a bit pale, "Not to mention the snow ball fight."

"**So the Stone's gone?" said Ron finally. "Flamel's just going to **_**die**_**?"**

**Alex shrugged. "****That's what Harry said, but Dumbledore thinks that — what was it? — 'to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.'"**

"**I always said he was off his rocker," said Ron, looking quite impressed at how crazy his hero was.**

Laughs echoed through the room. "Quite true Mr. Weasley." Dumbledore chuckled.

"**So what happened to you two?" said Harry.**

"**Well, I got back all right," said Hermione. "I brought Ron round — that took a while — and we were dashing up to the owlery to contact Dumbledore when we met him in the entrance hall — he already knew — he just said, 'The twins' gone after him, haven't they?' and hurtled off to the third floor."**

"**D'you think he meant you to do it?" said Ron. "Sending you your father's cloak and everything?"**

"_**Well**_**, " Hermione exploded, "if he did — I mean to say that's terrible — you both could have been killed."**

"He better not have." Molly growled.

"**No, it isn't," said Harry thoughtfully. "He's a funny man, Dumbledore. I think he sort of wanted to give us a chance. I think he knows more or less everything that goes on here, you know. I reckon he had a pretty good idea we were going to try, and instead of stopping us, he just taught us enough to help."**

**Alex huffed, "I don't think it was an accident he let us find out how the mirror worked either. It's almost like he thought we had the right to face Voldemort if we could…"**

Dumbledore smiled.

"**Yeah, Dumbledore's off his rocker, all right," said Ron proudly. "Listen, you've got to be up for the end-of-year feast tomorrow. The points are all in and Slytherin won, of course —" Alex had to smile a tad as he said this.**

"What?" Alex asked upon seeing the glare Ron sent her. "It _is_ my house, you know."

**"****— **you both missed the last Quidditch match, we were steam rollered by Ravenclaw without you Harry — but the food'll be good."

"You've names numerous losses for Gryffindor and all you could think about it food?" Astoria asked incredulously.

**At that moment, Madam Pomfrey bustled over.**

"**You've had nearly fifteen minutes, now OUT" she said firmly.**

**After a good night's sleep, Harry felt nearly back to normal, and Alex was back to her usual bipolar self.**

Harry, Theo, Blaise, Daphne, Hermione, Ron, Malfoy and Marcus bust out aughing, while Alex stared at the book in Millicen't hands, offended.

"**We want to go to the feast," Alex told Madam Pomfrey as she straightened the twins' many candy boxes. "We can, can't we?"**

"**Professor Dumbledore says you are to be allowed to go," she said stiffly, as though in her opinion Professor Dumbledore didn't realize how risky feasts could be.**

"We don't prank feasts." The Weasley Twins, Lee, Alex and Harry protested.

"And ours never hurt anyone." Sirius said outraged.

"**And you have another visitor."**

"**Oh, good," said Harry. "Who is it?"**

**Hagrid sidled through the door as he spoke. As usual when he was indoors, Hagrid looked too big to be allowed. He sat down next to Harry and Alex, took one look at them, and burst into tears.**

Many people in the hall blinked.

"**It's — all — my — ruddy — fault!" he sobbed, his face in his hands. "I told the evil git how ter get past Fluffy! I told him! It was the only thing he didn't know, an' I told him! Yeh could've died! All fer a dragon egg! I'll never drink again!**

Snorts went through the room.

**I should be chucked out an' made ter live as a Muggle!"**

"**Hagrid!" said Alex, shocked to see Hagrid shaking with grief and remorse, great tears leaking down into his beard. "Hagrid, he'd have found out somehow, this is Voldemort we're talking about, he'd have found out even if you hadn't told him."**

"**Yeh could've died!" sobbed Hagrid. "An' don' say the name!"**

"**VOLDEMORT!" Harry bellowed, and Alex thwapped him upside the head. Hagrid was so shocked, he stopped crying.**

Even Snape had to chuckle a bit as he and the rest of the people in the hall imagined it.

"**We've met him and we're calling him by his name. Please cheer up, Hagrid, we saved the Stone, it's gone, he can't use it. Have a Chocolate Frog, I've got loads…" Harry consoled.**

**Hagrid wiped his nose on the back of his hand and said, "That reminds me. I've got yeh a present."**

"**It's not a stoat sandwich, is it?" said Alex anxiously,** **and at last Hagrid gave a weak chuckle.**

As did others only it was a lot stronger.

"**Nah. Dumbledore gave me the day off yesterday ter fix it. 'course, he shoulda sacked me instead — anyway, got yeh this…"**

**It seemed to be a handsome, leather-covered book. Harry opened it curiously. It was full of wizard photographs. Smiling and waving at him and Alex from every page were their mother and father.**

"So that's what that was for." Remus realized.

"**Sent owls off ter all yer parents' old school friends, askin' fer photos…knew yeh didn' have any…d'yeh like it?"**

**Harry couldn't speak, and Alex was sniffing, but Hagrid understood.**

The twins beamed at Hagrid.

**Harry made his way down to the end-of-year feast with Alex that night. They had been held up by Madam Pomfrey's fussing about, insisting on giving them one last check-up, so the Great Hall was already full. It was decked out in the Slytherin colours of green and silver to celebrate Slytherin's winning the house cup for the seventh year in a row. ****A huge banner showing the Slytherin serpent covered the wall behind the High Table.**

**When the walked in there was a sudden hush,**

The rest of the hall winced.

**and then everybody started talking loudly at once. Harry slipped into a seat between Ron and Hermione at the Gryffindor table and tried to ignore the fact that people were standing up to look at him. Alex took her usual spot between Daphne and Blaise, and the rest of her housemates stared at her. Unfortunately, Malfoy was just across from her, and he was looking particularly smug. Dumbledore arrived moments later. The babble died away.**

"**Another year gone!" Dumbledore said cheerfully. "And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully your heads are all a little fuller than they were…you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts…**

The teachers groaned; it's like he encourages them to forget their homework..

"**Now, as I understand it, the house cup here needs awarding, and the points stand thus: In fourth place, Gryffindor, with three hundred and twelve points; in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two; Ravenclaw has four hundred and six and Slytherin, four hundred and twenty-two."**

**A storm of cheering and stamping broke out from the Slytherin table. Harry could see Draco Malfoy banging his goblet on the table. It was a sickening sight.**

Harry whistled innocently when Malfoy sent a nasty look his way.

**The only one who didn't seem happy was Alex. In fact, she felt awful. She met Harry's eyes between across their tables, and Harry shrugged.**

_**I told you it wasn't your fault, Alex.**_

_**Doesn't make me feel any less guilty.**_

**"Are you all right, Alex?"**

**Alex blinked and turned to the speaker. It wasn't Daphne or Blaise who had spoken. It was Theo. He sat a couple of seats down Malfoy, staring at her expectantly.**

"Awww, he cares!" Luna said in her usual dreamy tone.

Hermione, Ginny, Daphne and Astoria laughed when both Alex and Theo turned a rather fetching shade of red. Malfoy and Blaise were smirking, Harry looked about ready to give the 'big brother speech', Sirius looked a tad disapproving but was smiling all the same, Tonks was cooing, Snape looked stern, and Remus was chuckling.

The rest of the hall were going "aww!"

**She smiled unsurely, "Fine, just a bit tired."**

**Theo didn't look convinced, but nodded.**

**"Yes, Yes, well done, Slytherin," said Dumbledore. "However, recent events must be taken into account."**

**The room went very still. The Slytherins' smiles faded a little.**

"**Ahem," said Dumbledore. "I have a few last-minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes…**

"**First — to Mr. Ronald Weasley…"**

**Ron went purple in the face; he looked like a radish with a bad sunburn.**

Snorts and laughs where poorly contained, made even harder by Ron throwing books at his best mate.

"…**for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."**

**Gryffindor cheers nearly raised the bewitched ceiling; the stars overhead seemed to quiver.**

**Percy could be heard telling the other prefects, "My brother, you know! My youngest brother! Got past McGonagall's giant chess set!"**

Some giggled but Percy smiled at his brother.

**At last there was silence again.**

"**Second — to Miss Hermione Granger…for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."**

**Hermione buried her face in her arms; Harry strongly suspected she had burst into tears.**

Hermione smacked Harry on the arm.

**Gryffindors up and down the table were beside themselves — they were a hundred points up.**

**"Third ****— to Ms. Alexis Potter..." Alex blinked when the Slytherins perked up and turned to her. They still had a chance to win the house cup. "...for unwavering loyalty and cunning, I award Slytherin fifty points."**

******The Slytherins cheered, while the other houses looked disappointed, especially Gryffindor.**

**"Fourth — to Mr. Harry Potter…" said Dumbledore. The room went deadly quiet. "…for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor house sixty points."**

**The din was deafening. Those who could add up while yelling themselves hoarse knew that Gryffindor now had four hundred and seventy-two points — exactly the same as Slytherin. They had tied for the house cup — if only Dumbledore had given Harry just one more point.**

**Dumbledore raised his hand. The room gradually fell silent.**

"**There are all kinds of courage," said Dumbledore, smiling. "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.**

Remus nodded, he didn't have that bravery.

**I therefore award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom."**

**Someone standing outside the Great Hall might well have thought some sort of explosion had taken place, so loud was the noise that erupted from the Gryffindor table. Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood up to yell and cheer as Neville, white with shock, disappeared under a pile of people hugging him. He had never won so much as a point for Gryffindor before. Harry, still cheering, nudged Ron in the ribs and pointed at Malfoy, who couldn't have looked more stunned and horrified if he'd just had the Body-Bind Curse put on him. **

More laughter went through the hall.

**Alex was still sitting with her horrified housemates, but she was smiling and clapping with the rest of the hall.**

"**Which means," Dumbledore called over the storm of applause, for even Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were celebrating the downfall of Slytherin,**

"**we need a little change of decoration."**

"That was harsh Professor." Theo.

"Letting us think we'd won." Draco.

"And then taking it away." Blaise.

"I'd hate to say this, but they're right." Alex.

Dumbledore nodded. "My apologies to the Slytherin house."

**He clapped his hands. In an instant, the green hangings became scarlet and the silver became gold; the huge Slytherin serpent vanished and a towering Gryffindor lion took its place. Snape was shaking Professor McGonagall's hand, with a horrible, forced smile.**

"She was trying to apologise for Dumbledore's methods." said Snape.

**He turned to where Alex was sitting. She met his stare evenly and shrugged, clearly telling him that she could care less, and he nodded.**

**He caught Harry's eye and Harry knew at once that Snape's feelings toward him hadn't changed one jot. This didn't worry Harry. It seemed as though life would be back to normal next year, or as normal as it ever was at Hogwarts.**

**It was the best evening of Harry's life, better than winning at Quidditch, or Christmas, or knocking out mountain trolls…he would never, ever forget tonight.**

**Harry had almost forgotten that the exam results were still to come, but come they did. To their great surprise, both he and Ron passed with good marks; Hermione, of course, had the best grades of the first years. Even Neville scraped through, his good Herbology mark making up for his abysmal Potions one. Alex had passed with good marks, though she barely caught up in History of Magic. They had hoped that Goyle, who was almost as stupid as he was mean, might be thrown out, but he had passed, too.**

Goyle managed to actually look offended.

**It was a shame, but as Ron said, you couldn't have everything in life.**

"Don't we know it." chorused Harry and Alex.

**And suddenly, their wardrobes were empty, their trunks were packed, Neville's toad was found lurking in a corner of the toilets; notes were handed out to all students, warning them not to use magic over the holidays ("I always hope they'll forget to give us these," said Fred Weasley sadly);**

"Wouldn't change the law." Tonks smiled.

**Hagrid was there to take them down to the fleet of boats that sailed across the lake; they were boarding the Hogwarts Express; talking and laughing as the countryside became greener and tidier; eating Bettie Bott's Every Flavour Beans as they sped past Muggle towns; pulling off their wizard robes and putting on jackets and coats; pulling into platform nine and three-quarters at King's Cross Station.**

**It took quite a while for them all to get off the platform. A wizened old guard was up by the ticket barrier, letting them go through the gate in twos and threes so they didn't attract attention by all bursting out of a solid wall at once and alarming the Muggles.**

"**You must come and stay this summer," said Ron, "both of you — I'll send you an owl."**

"**Thanks," said Harry, "We'll need something to look forward to."**

"We really did." He grimaced.

**People jostled them as they moved forward toward the gateway back to the Muggle world. Some of them called:**

"**Bye, Harry!"**

**"Owl me, Alex!"**

"**See you, Potters!"**

"**Still famous," said Ron, grinning at them.**

"**Not where we're going, I promise you," said Alex.**

"One thing I'm happy about." Harry grumbled.

Alex nodded. "Agreed."

**She, Harry, Ron, and Hermione passed through the gateway together. "There he is, Mum, there he is, look!"**

**It was Ginny Weasley, Ron's younger sister, but she wasn't pointing at Ron.**

"And note that she only said 'he'." Alex and Hermione laughed.

"**Harry Potter!" she squealed. "Look, Mum! I can see —"**

Ginny went scarlet as people laughed along Hermione and Alex.

**"Looks like you have an admirer." Alex whispered to her brother, who swatted her on the arm.**

**"Be quiet, Ginny, and it's rude to point."**

**Mrs. Weasley smiled down at them.**

"**Busy year?" she said.**

"**Very," said Harry. "Thanks for the fudge and the sweater, Mrs. Weasley."**

**Alex smiled. "They were brilliant."**

"So sweet." Many of the female staff cooed.

"You make us look bad." Fred chuckled.

"**Oh, it was nothing, dears."**

"**Ready, are you?"**

**It was Uncle Vernon, still purple-faced, still moustached, still looking furious at the nerve of the twins, each carrying an owl in a cage in a station full of ordinary people. Behind him stood Aunt Petunia and Dudley, looking terrified at the very sight of Harry and Alex.**

Snorts went through the room.

"Yes, be afraid -" Harry mocked.

"- be very afraid." Alex deadpanned.

"**You must be Harry and Alexis' family!" said Mrs. Weasley.**

"**In a manner of speaking," said Uncle Vernon. "Hurry up, boy, girl, we haven't got all day." He walked away.**

**The twins hung back for a last word with Ron and Hermione.**

"**See you over the summer, then."**

"**Hope you have — er — a good holiday," said Hermione, looking uncertainly after Uncle Vernon, shocked that anyone could be so unpleasant.**

"I was, trust me."

"**Oh, we will," said Alex, and they were surprised at the grin that was spreading over her face, including Harry.**

**"Are you mad?" asked Harry, "It'll be terrible. We won't be able to use magic at all!"**

**Alex raised an eyebrow and smirked. "**_**They **_**don't know we're not allowed to use magic at home. Dear brother, I believe we're going to have a lot of fun with Dudley this summer…"**

"Brilliant!" Fred, George, lee, and Sirius cheered.

"Ah, we've done well with her. Wouldn't you say Blaise?" said Daphne with a smirk, and Blaise nodded.

"And that's the book." Millicent said and shut the book, glancing at everyone in the hall.

Dumbledore nodded. "We shall have the reading of the second book the same time tomorrow. Now off you go!"

=In the Slytherin Common Room=

By now, everyone was asleep - well, almost everyone. Alex and Theo were sitting in one of the couches in front of the fire, unaware of the eyes watching them. Alex had her head rested in Theo's lap, and he ran a hand through her long, black hair.

...

"Do you think he's going to tell her?" asked Blaise as he eyed his two friends.

Malfoy snorted. "If he works up the courage to finally ask her out."

Daphne and Astoria shushed them both.

...

(A/N Prepare for a cliche moment)

"Alex," Theo began,

"Hmmm?"

"You're the most temperamental, and hostile girl I've ever known, and act too much like a Gryffindor for your own good." Alex's eyes narrowed at this, and she sat up. Theo was quick to continue. "You're also the sweetest, most loyal person I've met, cunning and cheeky as any other Slytherin. That's why I've liked you since third year, and why I was acting like a jealous git when you went to the Yule Ball with Pucey." (A/N Bwahahaha, spoiler!)

Alex's eyebrows shot up to her hairline. From their hidden corner, Blaise, Daphne, Astoria, Millicent, Adrian, Marcus and Malfoy were grinning like loons at the declaration.

...

Adrian raised an eyebrow at this. "So that's why he was glaring at me?"

Daphne shushed him again. "Shut it, Pucey! I wanna hear what she says!"

...

Theo grasped her hand in his and stared straight into her emerald eyes. "Alex, will you go out with me?"

Everyone else leaned forward to listen to her answer.

Silence.

...

...

...

...

...

Theo began to get nervous, and he closed his eyes as he prepared himself for her rejection.

Alex smiled. "Theo, you're an idiot. Of course I'll go out with you."

Oh, he knew it! He knew she would say no!

Theo sighed. "Allie, I understand if you don't want to. I mean, I'm not as good looking as Blaise -"

"Theo..."

"- not as good as Pucey in Quidditch. I'm decent on a broom, but - "

"Theo!"

"- maybe I should have just kept my mouth shut, I -"

"THEO!"

Alex stood, grabbed Theo's and crashed her lips onto his, effectively shutting him up.

...

"Ha! Pay up, Flint!" Malfoy cried in a hushed voice, and Marcus grumbled to himself as he reluctantly handed over ten galleons.

...

When Alex had pulled away, Theo had a glazed, yet confused look in his eyes. "But I thought -"

"I said 'yes', you dolt."

At this, Theo's eyes widened like saucers. "I - I - you... what?" By this point, Blaise and Daphne were laughing like mad people. It really was a sight.

Alex chuckled and leaned forward to give him another peck on the lips. "I... (kiss) said... (kiss) yes!"

After the third kiss, Theo pulled Alex onto his lap and kissed her with fervor. Alex moaned when he licked her bottom lip and granted him access. Her hands reached up to grasp his smooth, black hair, and Theo tightly wrapped his arms around her waist as she repositioned herself, so she was straddling him. Theo pulled away, trailing kisses down her neck, hands fumbling with the buttons of her shirt.

"T-Theo, I think w-we should stop." Alex moaned when he sucked on a particularly sensitive spot. It took great effort, but Theo managed to pull away after taking a deep breath.

"Sorry."

Alex smiled. "It's fine."

When the two finally retreated to their dorms, the group of Slytherins moved out of their hiding spot, Astoria sighing.

"Looks like we didn't need to slip them a lust potion after all, Daph."

The boys stared at them wide-eyed.

"You were going to _what?_" Marcus cried.

Neither girl answered. They were whispering and giggling all the way to their dorm.

* * *

**I hope you all liked this chapter. Anyways, please review!**

** ~Cassandra**


	18. Sequel Up!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter; it all belongs to J.K Rowling and Warner Brothers Inc. However, I do own Alex.

**Pairings:** All are canon with the exception of my Theo/OC pairing.

* * *

**Dear readers,**

**I'd like to thank everyone who has shown their support for this story, you've been a great audience. As for those who have asked: I'm doing all seven years, not to worry. I'm also glad that the pairings appeal to you.**

**The sequel for this story has finally been posted. "The Slytherin Side of Things: Year 2" has it's first chapter up, and I hope that you all enjoy!**

**Also, be sure to check out my other stories such as "Behind Those Emerald Eyes", and watch out for the upcoming one-shot I will be posting within the week.**

* * *

**Sincerely,**

**~Cassandra**


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